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Vera Baird grateful for volunteers who support policing

7th June 2017

Northumbria Police and Police and Crime Commissioner Vera Baird DBE QC, have reinforced their commitment to those who give up their own time to support policing as part of National Volunteer Week.

National Volunteer Week, which runs from June 1 to June 7, is an annual celebration of the fantastic contribution people across the UK make.

On Saturday (June 3) the force, along with the office of Northumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, hosted the second ever Volunteers’ Conference.

The event was attended by Special Constables, Volunteer Police Cadets, members from Community Speedwatch along with volunteers for the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner including custody visitors and members of Independent Advisory Groups.

Voluntary organisations whose role helps police were also represented with people from Street Pastors, Mountain Search and Rescue and the Voluntary Lifeboat Brigade.

Superintendent Sarah Pitt said: “The support we have from members of the public who give up their own time to support policing is phenomenal and truly awe-inspiring and something we never taken for granted and as we mark National Volunteer Week it is a great opportunity for us to say thank you.

“Due to the huge success of our conference last year we hosted it again this year with some fantastic guest speakers, including my personal favourite Harry from the North East Police History Society who I could sit and listen to for hours.

“It’s an exciting time for volunteering within Northumbria Police and we have plenty of volunteering opportunities available including the special constabulary and have recently advertised for cyber volunteers to help us with all things cyber related. As we develop our volunteering profile over the next few months there will be more and more exciting opportunities available and I would encourage people to keep a look out for a volunteering opportunity that suits them – or if they don’t see one but still want to volunteer then please get in contact and we will see what we can develop.”

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner, Vera Baird, said: “For the second year running National Volunteer Week has provided the perfect opportunity for us to host an event celebrating the crucial work our volunteers do. This year’s conference was even bigger and better than before, helping us show our gratitude and appreciation for their support.

“The work of my office benefits from a number of volunteer roles – from independent custody visitors to court observers – they help us identify issues so we can tackle them and bring about positive change. Their perspective and input is, for me, incredibly valuable and I am grateful to everyone who dedicates their time and skills so that together we can try and make a difference.”

For information about volunteering opportunities within Northumbria Police visit http://careers.northumbria.police.uk/