Gift Ideas For Special Constables: Gear For Volunteer Officers

A special constable has the same powers as a regular officer and gives up evenings and weekends to use them, generally around a full-time job.

We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges and prints in the UK. We don't sell uniform, kit or equipment, so anything gear-related here is a recommendation rather than our own product.

The practical difference that shapes the gift: most specials don't live in uniform. They travel in, change at the station, and go home again - carrying everything with them both ways.

For the commute and the changing room

• A heavy-duty kit bag that takes a full uniform, boots and civilian clothes in one trip and doesn't look like police kit on a train.
• A garment section or a folding compartment so a shirt arrives without needing an iron.
• A separate boot compartment, so muddy boots don't sit against a clean shirt.
• A padlock for the station locker, which nobody thinks about until the first shift.
• A shoe bag and a laundry bag for the trip home, which is always the messier direction.
• A travel iron or a decent steamer for the kit at home.

Shift essentials

• A flask and a sealed food box - specials often go straight from work to duty with no chance to eat.
• Good boot socks and a spare pair in the bag.
• A pocket torch and a weatherproof notebook.
• A power bank, since a phone that started the day at work will be flat by ten at night.
• Thermal base layers for winter foot patrol.
• Blister plasters and boot care kit.

Saying thank you for volunteering

• A thank you card that names what they actually do. Specials are thanked far less often than regulars.
• A meal out booked around their duty rota, not yours.
• A framed photograph from their attestation.
• A contribution towards travel costs, which specials often absorb themselves.
• Covering a chore at home on a duty weekend - genuinely the gift with the highest value here.
• A pin badge or a small keepsake marking their years served.

What to avoid

• Anything bearing a force crest or rank insignia.
• Equipment that has to be issued or approved - belt kit, armour, non-spec boots.
• Jokes about 'hobby bobbies'. They've heard all of them and they hold the same powers as anyone else.
• Gifts that assume a free weekend. Specials commit minimum hours each month on top of a job.
• Bright or branded bags. Discretion on the commute matters.

Shop thank you cards

How to write it so it lands

• Ask whether they change at the station. It changes which bag suits them.
• Give the padlock with the bag. Everybody forgets the padlock.
• Write the card for their anniversary of attestation - almost nobody marks it.

Where to shop next

• What to buy someone joining the police
• Police passing out parade gifts
• Gifts for police officers UK
• What to pack in a police duty bag
• Police promotion gifts
• What to write in a thank you card to a police officer
• New job card messages
• Congratulations card messages
• All guides
• Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
• How to make a balloon arch
• Photo booth prop ideas
• Thank you cards
• Thank you cards guide
• Pin badges

Frequently asked questions

What do you buy a special constable?

A heavy-duty kit bag for carrying uniform and boots to the station, a locker padlock, a flask and sealed food box, good boot socks, a pocket torch and a power bank.

Do special constables get issued a kit bag?

It varies by force and many specials buy their own, which is why a good bag is such a reliable gift. Ask which force they're with if you can.

How do you thank a special constable?

Say thank you in writing and name what they do. Specials volunteer around a full-time job and are thanked far less often than regular officers. Covering travel costs or chores on duty weekends helps more than most gifts.

What should you not buy a special constable?

Anything with a force crest, any equipment that must be force-issued or approved, and brightly branded bags - discretion on the commute matters to most specials.

Do you sell police kit or uniform?

No. We design and print greetings cards, enamel pin badges and prints in the UK. Any bag or equipment mentioned here is an outside recommendation, not something we stock.