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3. SPECIAL CONSTABULARY STRENGTH

(a)    There were 14,021 special constables as at 31 March 2007, 842 or six per cent morę than last year. This follows an 11 per cent increase in March 2006 and an eight per cent increase in March 2005, which was the first time that special constable strength had increased sińce 1997.

(b)    Thirty-three per cent of speciai constables were female, a higher proportion than for police officers. Eight per cent of special constables were minority ethnic, which is also higher than the proportion among police officers. The Metropolitan Police had the highest numbers of minority ethnic special constables (30 per cent), followed by Leicestershire and West Midlands police (21 per cent).

(c)    In the year to 31 March 2007, 3,577 special constables joined the special constabulary and 2,442 left. (In addition, some had ceased to be active over the last few years and were removed from forces’ records but were not recorded as leaving in the 12 months to 2006, hence the discrepancy between the strength and leaving and joining figures for special constables.) The wastage ratę remained steady at 17 per cent in the year to 31 March 2007, as it was also 17 per cent in the year to 31 March 2006. A number of specials leave their post to become police constables.

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