Pictured: Lizzie Bishop
Special police constables from West Midlands Police have been
praised for their dedication during the unprecedented violence that
swept through the region on August 8 and 9.
Police forces were stretched during the public disorder, and
volunteer police officers in the West Midlands worked around the
clock to help restore peace.
One such special constable is Lizzie Bishop, 26, a full-time
personal travel expert at Kuoni Travel, Solihull. During the riots,
Lizzie worked 20 hours, helping to support the regular officers who
were all working 12-hour shifts.
In that time, she helped to deal with flare-ups of violence
outside Birmingham city centre, involving outbreaks of large groups
causing disturbances across Birmingham South; Northfield, Selly
Oak, and Edgbaston.
Special constables are usually expected to carry out 16 hours a
month, but Lizzie undertook 20 hours of service in just a matter of
days, on top of her normal 40-hour week at Kuoni.
A special constable has all the powers of a regular officer, but
is entirely voluntary, and they give their time to help police
serve the public.
"I've never seen anything like that in my life. It was scary,
but also very sad to see," said Lizzie.
"It was especially sad for me to see the shops that had been
smashed up, as I work in retail myself and could imagine how the
owners and staff of those businesses would be feeling," added
Lizzie.
She described Kuoni as being "very supportive" of her job with
the police, and said she was able to leave work early on a day that
she was called in to support the regular force.
Mary Janiec, Store Manager of Kuoni Travel Solihull, was full of
praise for Lizzie's contribution:
"I can't speak highly enough about the remarkable job Lizzie
carried out. To give her time freely to support our police force
and community is a quite remarkable gesture. We are all incredibly
proud of her!"
Lizzie began her special constable training in March, and only
completed it in July. She said she felt the job was highly
rewarding, commenting:
"I get to interact with different local communities and to meet
people from different cultures.
"It also keeps me in touch with all the local businesses, and
it's great to interact with different people in the area. I
understand the challenges they face and that helps me in my work
too," she added.
For now, it is back to normal in Birmingham, but Lizzie, and
other special constables like her, continue to provide vital
support to our police forces.