Aberystwyth Special Constables Visit Big Pete On RB FM
Written by Al Frean on 3 June 2017
Datganiad i’r Wasg
Press Release
Friday May 26, 2017
Dyfed-Powys Police is Celebrating the Specials’ Effect
Dyfed-Powys Police is celebrating the effect its Specials Constabulary has on policing during National Specials Weekend.
From Friday, June 2 to Sunday, June 4 Specials will be out and about throughout Dyfed-Powys showing how they support policing and help make their communities safer just for the love of it.
The force has just under 100 Special Constabulary officers from a variety of backgrounds and professions including a teacher, financial advisor, engineer, a gymnastics coach and a marketing officer for a theatre company.
To celebrate their commitment and contribution to policing, as well as highlighting the breadth of skills and knowledge they bring from their every-day jobs, a short film has been produced highlighting the #SpecialsEffect.
It features officers from Dyfed-Powys’ special constabulary and will be posted on Dyfed-Powys Police’s social media channels on Friday, June 2 to launch the activity planned for National Specials Weekend.
Superintendent Robyn Mason, the lead for citizens in policing, said: “Our Specials Constabulary makes a massive contribution to helping keep communities safe in Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Powys. National Specials Weekend is an opportunity to thank each and every one of them for giving up their time voluntarily, putting themselves through a pressured application process, intensive training and then in potentially difficult and sometimes dangerous situations. There is no doubt that we all feel the benefit of the #SpecialsEffect in Dyfed-Powys.”
Cairn Newton-Evans is Chief Officer for the Specials and has been volunteering for eight years. Chief Officer is the highest rank possible within the Special Constabulary and, at the age of 26, is the youngest chief officer in the UK. He dedicates 40-50 hours a month of his free time to the service of his community.
Cairn is a student studying Law and also works part-time as a merchandiser at a supermarket.
He is from Ammanford and regularly patrols his home-town. Since climbing the ranks from Special Constable through to Chief Officer, he is attempting to patrol every area where Specials are working from to see first-hand the work they are carrying out and the response they receive from communities.
He decided to join the Specials Constabulary after, at the age of 17, being the victim of a hate incident, targeted because of his sexuality, where he was assaulted and seriously injured. He did this because he wanted to prevent others from suffering what he had experienced.
Cairn’s work as a Special and him being a passionate advocate for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights has been recognised with him being awarded the citizen awards category of the prestigious St David Award.
He’s a trained hate crime support officer and the deputy lead of the Dyfed-Powys Police LGBT Staff Network and has also established an LGBT social and support project in Carmarthenshire to support and counsel people.
Specials Chief Officer Cairn Newton-Evans said: “For months afterwards I was scared to leave the house and felt so low. I eventually decided that to be able to move on I needed to try and turn this experience into a positive one. I set up a Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender (LGBT) Support Group in Ammanford, but that wasn’t enough. I decided to join the Specials Constabulary in 2009 to influence change in the way police support victims of hate incidents and I’m loving the experience.
“It’s great to be able to give something back to the community and also be able to drive change and influence policing processes and policies as Dyfed-Powys has definitely listened and put changes in place learning from my experience.”
To follow the work of the Dyfed-Powys Police Specials during National Specials Weekend follow the activity on Twitter @DPPSpecials @DyfedPowys and the Dyfed-Powys Facebook page.
