Volunteering 

The Force’s vibrant volunteering programme brings together individuals from across Surrey’s communities, each contributing their invaluable knowledge, skills, and experience to support policing.

Young people can join the policing family from the age of 13 as a volunteer police cadet and with no upper age limit for volunteering, many of the Force’s volunteers have a long service history.

Opportunities range from short-term placements through work experience to longer-term commitment in roles such as special constables, police support volunteers, and volunteer police cadets.

More generally, these contributions complement existing specialisms such as drone piloting and public order policing, bolstering both capacity and resilience across the Force.

Special Constables:

Surrey’s Special Constabulary is a vital part of our efforts to protect communities from harm and ensure residents feel safe.

In 2024/25, special constables collectively volunteered over 37,400 hours, enhancing frontline policing across Neighbourhood Policing Teams, Safer Neighbourhood Teams, and the Roads Policing Unit.

A key focus has been tackling rural crime through targeted patrols and initiatives, which have helped strengthen engagement with rural communities.

Special constables have also expanded their roles into investigative areas, supporting Professional Standards and the Paedophile Online Investigation Team (POLIT).

More generally, these contributions complement existing specialisms such as drone piloting and public order policing, bolstering both capacity and resilience across the Force.

Police Support Volunteers:

Police support volunteers perform a range of supporting tasks and functions which enhance the Force’s capability to fight crime, protect people and earn the trust and confidence of Surrey’s communities.

Over the past year, new volunteers have joined in key areas such as vehicle maintenance, victim care, fraud prevention, and chaplaincy. As the Chaplaincy Team expands, so does its invaluable wellbeing support for officers, staff, and volunteers.

Dedicated Fraud Prevention Volunteers ensure that every fraud victim receives tailored, preventative guidance designed to protect them and reduce future risk.

Volunteer Police Cadets:

Surrey’s Volunteer Police Cadet Scheme continues to provide a safe environment in which young people from the age of 13 can learn new skills, develop positive relationships with the police and actively support their community.

Over the past year, cadets have benefited from an engaging modular learning programme featuring guest speakers and visits to specialist units, including Roads Policing Teams and the National Police Air Service.

Their dedication extends beyond policing, as they have actively supported local, regional, and national charities such as Woking Foodbank, the Children’s Trust, and Cancer Research UK.

In January 2025, cadets took part in a sleep-out under the stars to raise funds for the Hope Hub, a Surrey Heath-based charity focused on preventing and ending homelessness. Together, cadets and their leaders raised over £2,200 while gaining first-hand insight into the difficult realities faced by those without a home.

Throughout the year, cadets have continued to contribute to policing operations, assisting with leaflet distribution, burglary prevention initiatives, weapons sweeps, and test purchasing, where they help monitor the sale of restricted items such as knives or alcohol under the guidance of licensing officers

Work Experience:

The Force has developed an engaging work experience programme, offering young people from Year 10 onwards the chance to gain a unique insight into policing.

This highly sought-after opportunity helps students explore the diverse roles within the Force, including the work of the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

ICV Scheme:

The primary aim of the Independent Custody Visiting (ICV) Scheme is to prevent harm, protect detainees and deliver effective oversight of police custody in order to ensure a safe environment and deliver public reassurance.

Specially trained volunteers make random, unannounced visits to police custody suites to check on detainees’ welfare and conditions.

ICV is a national program mandated by the Home Office and supported by the Independent Custody Visiting Association (ICVA).

Police and Crime Commissioners are responsible for overseeing the local implementation of this scheme, ensuring it operates effectively within their jurisdiction.

Within Surrey the scheme was started in 1987.

Surrey Police operates three custody suites in Guildford, Staines and Salfords, each with its own team of ICV volunteers (ICVs) responsible for conducting visits.

During a visit the ICVs assess detainees’ treatment and the conditions of their detention ensuring they are consistently treated with dignity and respect.

They do this by directly speaking with detainees about their welfare, checking custody records (the comprehensive notes kept about an individuals detention) and inspecting the general condition of the custody facilities.

This process allows the police to demonstrate their commitment to fair and lawful treatment of detainees, aligning with statutory legislation and guidance.

ICVs also ensure that custody officers are supported in their roles to deliver consistent care to detainees.

During 2023/24 Surrey’s ICVs conducted 176 unannounced visits, spending approximately 323 hours in custody, equating to over 700 hours of volunteer time.

Throughout the year, ICVs directly checked on the welfare of 928 detainees, actively speaking and engaging 48% of these people. The remaining detainees’ welfare was checked through thorough examination of their custody record.

Findings are reported to the OPCC’s ICV Manager, who addresses any issues with Surrey Police leaders and keeps the volunteers informed of the outcomes. Full details of the outcomes of these visits can be found in the separate ICV Annual Report.

Applications to volunteer for this scheme are open year-round and further details can be found on our website.

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