National Volunteer Week: 3-9 June

National Volunteer Week launched on Monday 3 June, a highlight in the volunteer calendar.

Over the next 7 days, we will be celebrating and thanking our wonderful volunteers who give up so much of their time to supporting policing in our communities across Essex.

Whether as a volunteer police officer keeping people safe, or as a volunteer cadet leader reaching out to our young people, there is an opportunity for everyone to get involved. Our volunteers work in many of our teams across the force, utilising the skills and experience they bring to us from their other lives, including our volunteer Active Citizens who attend community events, sharing crime prevention and fraud advice. 

The week culminates with the three-day National Special Constable Weekend and #BigHelpOut starting Friday 7 June. Over the weekend our volunteer police officers will be out in force across the county, tackling dangerous drivers, patrolling burglary hotspots and towns and cities.

Our specials have the same powers as regular officers, working alongside them, not only in local, rural and community teams, but with specialist departments including Roads Policing, Marine and Dog Units, as well as at Stansted Airport.

Volunteering can help people reconnect with their community, make new friends and banish loneliness. It feels good to help others, and volunteers can come away with new skills and experiences. It can also help with career development as it is recognised by many employers as a good skill to have.

If you think you #FitTheBill and want to learn more, why not come along to our recruitment event and meet the team on Saturday 8 June between 10am – 2pm at Cineworld, Basildon.

We will also be at VOLFEST, High Street, Chelmsford, on Thursday 6 June.

The Big Help Out raises awareness of volunteering opportunities throughout the UK, and allows people to experience volunteering and making a difference in their community.

Volunteer Police Cadets isn't just about recruiting police officers of the future – it’s about building positive relationships between young people, their communities, and police.

This youth organisation gives young people the opportunity to make a real difference in their local community and can have a positive impact in society. It’s a safe space to grow in confidence and thrive.

We encourage young people from all backgrounds and abilities to join.

We are looking for some very special people to join us as Volunteer Cadet Leaders and help us lead an inspiring group of young people and shape the future of policing.

We have Cadet Units across the county, but particularly need leaders currently in Castle Point, Rochford, and Braintree.

Our Active Citizens play a vital role in making the area in which we live, work, or visit, safe and less vulnerable to crime and anti-social behaviour. They do this by working with the community and through supporting community policing teams in distributing crime prevention advice to advise residents what they can do to secure their homes, protect their belongings, and prevent becoming a victim of crime. They’ll also support our community policing teams with proactive days of action and lend their administrative skills and support to those organising the events. We currently have vacancies for Active Citizens in the Thurrock area.

There are many volunteer opportunities available at Essex Police, whether it’s serving your community as a Special Constable, providing crime prevention advice to your neighbours as an Active Citizen or supporting young people as part of our Volunteer Police Cadets scheme. Find out more or register you interest on our volunteers page.