Measuring performance

Volunteering 

Our vibrant volunteering programme includes members of Surrey’s communities from diverse backgrounds who collectively offer their valuable knowledge, skills, and experience to the Force and OPCC.

Young people can join the policing family from as young as 13 as a Volunteer Police Cadet, from the age of 16 as a Police Support Volunteer and the age of 18 as a Special Constable (or volunteer police officer).

With no upper age limit for volunteering, many of the Force’s volunteers have a long service history and their commitment and contribution are hugely valued.

Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Ellie Vesey-Thompson standing in front of police van with a special officer

ICV Scheme

Undependent Custody Visiting (ICV) is a national program mandated by the Home Office and supported by the Independent Custody Visiting Association (ICVA).

Specially trained volunteers make random, unannounced visits to police custody suites to check on detainees’ welfare and conditions.

Police and Crime Commissioners are responsible for overseeing the local implementation of this scheme, ensuring it operates effectively within their jurisdiction.

The primary aim of ICV is to protect detainees and police while providing reassurance to the community.

Volunteers from various ICV schemes independently assess detainees’ treatment and the conditions of their detention, ensuring transparency and public confidence in police practices.

This process allows the police to demonstrate their commitment to fair and lawful treatment of detainees, aligning with statutory legislation and guidance.

Surrey Police operates three custody suites in Guildford, Staines and Salfords, each with its own panel of ICVs responsible for organising visiting rotas and conducting visits.

During these visits, ICVs speak with detainees about their welfare and rights under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) and inspect the general condition of the custody facilities.

Findings are reported to the OPCC’s ICV Manager, who addresses any issues with Surrey Police leaders and keeps the volunteers informed of the outcomes.

During 2023/24 Surrey’s ICVs conducted 183 unannounced visits, dedicating approximately 412 hours to monitoring custody, equating to over 900 hours of volunteer time.

The average visit duration was 2 hours and 25 minutes, slightly reduced from the previous year, aided by the implementation of electronic reporting systems.

Special constables (volunteer police officers)

Surrey’s Special Constabulary plays an important role in protecting people from harm and ensuring people feel safe.

Collectively volunteering over 37,000 hours in 2023/24, our special constables have provided additional frontline policing resource to our Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Safer Neighbourhood Teams and Roads Policing Unit.

This year has seen an increase in special constables tackling rural crime through targeted initiatives and patrols; this additional support has helped our engagement with rural communities.

Special constables have now been integrated into investigative roles within Professional Standards and our Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT).

These roles add to existing specialisms such as drone piloting and public order policing, all of which offer additional capacity and resilience to the Force.

Police support volunteers

Over the last year, the Force has welcomed new Police Support Volunteers into areas such as fraud prevention, criminal justice and victim care.

As our recruitment of police officers continues, volunteers play an important part in the onboarding and training of police officers through their roles within the Learning and Development Department.

Volunteer police cadets

Now in its eighth year, Surrey’s Volunteer Police Cadet Scheme continues to provide a safe environment in which young people from the age of 13 can learn new skills, develop positive relationships with the police and actively support their community.

Cadets enjoy a varied programme of learning and this year has been no exception with first aid training, inputs from policing experts, and visits to custody and court all featuring within the curriculum. Cadets are also offered new experiences; this year has included taking part in the Lord Mayor’s Show in London and joining Iftar at the Mubarak Mosque.

Cadets support charity, community and policing events across the county as well as policing operations including leaflet dropping, burglary prevention initiatives and test purchasing where cadets enter premises to buy articles such as knives or alcohol under the supervision of our licensing officers.

Work experience

The Force has established a work experience programme which offers young people from year 10 upwards the opportunity to gain a unique insight into policing.

This popular programme aims to provide students with an understanding of the varied roles within policing, including the role of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner’s Office.

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logo of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Surrey on deep blue background

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