Dan Merrington

Dan works in data centre for one of Britain's biggest banks. He lives with his wife and have two children.

He is based at March Police Station and have been a Special for more than 12 years.

I volunteered as a Special, like most people, with the intention of joining the job full time. However, circumstances changed, and I decided that it wasn't the career for me, but loved volunteering, so I became what is known as a career Special. There are many motivations that keep me wanting to be a Special. I get to experience things in life that not many others get to see, there are lots of interesting and exciting training opportunities, which provide you with skills for life, and the togetherness of working with the other officers (Specials and PCs) is unlike any other job. Your colleagues become your second family. However, my main motivation is that there is no better way to support your local police officers than being there side-by-side with them on the front line.

My favourite part of the job is being someone who people look to for help. We meet people in some of their darkest and lowest times. But knowing that I have the training and tools at my disposal to assist them in coming out of it, is a feeling unlike no other. It can be extremely rewarding. I usually work an average of 10-20 hours per week, on top of the time I spend at home performing other admin type tasks.

My message to anybody considering becoming a Special would be to think about your reasons for joining. If you have the right motivation and are willing to work hard, it will be one of the greatest experiences of your life and one of the best decisions you will ever make.