THE nation's cries for more bobbies on the beat, strongly echoed in the Alton area, are to be answered with the recruitment of 30,000 Special Constables throughout the country.
The government will spend around £270 million per year in bolstering the current force of 12,000 unpaid Special with 30,000 paid, part-time officers.
Home Office documents outlined the reasons for the proposal. "The feelings of insecurity and lack of confidence amongst the public, often taking the form of the demand for 'more bobbies on the beat', are real and can have a significant impact on individuals' quality of life.
"They are not necessarily relieved by an approach which focuses solely on tackling criminality and the reduction of crime.
"It seems clear that we must address public demand to increase visible presence of authority figures [and] enhance the accessibility of police services."
It is believed that the new officers would receive an hourly rate of £6.50. A national recruitment drive will begin in January.
Alton inspector Steve Mote has commented that liaison with local people during his thus-far brief stint at Alton, has seen a demand for more police presence in the town. In response to this, he has already increased foot patrols in the town centre over the summer months to act as a deterrent to prospective criminals.
Acting inspector Richard Stowe said: "We would welcome any additional government money spent, allowing us to mount additional uniformed patrols in the Alton town area.
"However, this use of part-time officers in an enhanced role asks a great many questions in relation to training and supervision which would have to be addressed first."
SEO Tony Lea is the most senior special constable at Alton police station. He said, "We have 10 Specials in Alton at the moment. For many, becoming a Special is a good way to see what police work is like before deciding whether to join the force. Over the past 10 to 15 years, about one third of all specials in the Alton sub-division have gone on to sign up as full time police officers.
"The idea of paying specials may well urge more people to apply and to join in this area, and that is a good thing because anything that increases our numbers is good.
"We impose very high standards on our Special Constables as it is, both in terms of requirements to join and how to conduct yourself once you are in. I cannot see that paying the officers will effect recruitment standards in any way, but it may have an effect of what we expect from them in terms of their duties.
"I have been a Special Constable for more than 19 years, and I am now nearing retirement. It would've been nice to get paid for my work over the years, but I obviously don't do it for money.
I'm just hoping that when they introduce payment of specials, they also consider the back pay."