Federation looks forward to offering Special officers the same benefits as warranted colleagues

SPECIAL officers with the Hampshire force will soon be able to join the Federation and enjoy the same benefits as their warranted colleagues.

The ban on them being part of the Federation will be lifted under the Police, Crime and Sentencing and Courts Bill, which is currently going through Parliament.

It’s something the Police Federation has been campaigning on for years.

Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoe Wakefield couldn’t be more delighted to welcome specials into the fold.

“It’s brilliant news,” she said.

“We can’t wait for it to change. It’s been taking a long time.

“We expected it to have happened by now. We had lots of meetings with Russell Morrison, who’s our lead special in Hampshire, about how we can include Specials and how we can include Specials into the Federation, doing some engagement events when the law finally changes so that we can explain to them, ‘This is what Federation can do for you’.

“We’ve had discussions with the Police and Crime Commissioner about paying for their membership fee, which is a little bit frustrating because our PCC is going to change, so we’ll go through those conversations again.

“But we’re really looking forward to welcoming them and are considering whether we should have a Rep on our council, a Specials Rep, to represent their voice.”