A FORMER honorary police officer has been recognised for his voluntary work as a Special Constable in helping to combat crime in the west of England.
At a recent ceremony held at the Avon & Somerset Police headquarters in Portishead, Ian Le Sueur – who served with the honorary police in St Brelade from 2012 until 2017 – was named Special Constable of the Year 2024 ahead of eight other nominees.
His nomination commended his proactive approach, resulting in him being responsible for numerous arrests over the past 12 months, including seven for drug-related offences, working with the local intelligence team, which was considered to have had a wider impact on the illegal drug scene.
Mr Le Sueur also worked on operations targeting offences on the county’s major road network and apprehending OCGs (organised crime groups) involved in drug-related crime.
It was noted that he was an integral member of the West Somerset Local Policing Team, often attending incidents alone providing a high level of service to the community. In addition, he was recognised for his role as a supplementary tutor, helping new officers to build their confidence and knowledge to progress to independent patrol status.
Mr Le Sueur said: “Five years in St Brelade’s honorary police gave me a lot of experience and a good base on which to develop. There are similarities between the two organisations, however, as Special Constables we are very much frontline and expected to deal with any scenario.
“I am frequently the only available resource for the best part of 300 square miles of West Somerset, my nearest support can be up to an hour away. I have to be able to deal with and contain a situation while waiting for that back-up to arrive, which is reflected in the level of training we receive, which is more rigorous than the honorary police.”
Mr Le Sueur transferred to Avon & Somerset Police as a Special Constable in 2017 when he moved to the UK. It is believed to be the first time a serving honorary officer directly transferred to a UK force.
Since then he has given nearly 6,000 hours of his spare time. This was his fourth consecutive nomination and Avon and Somerset chief officer Sarah Crew and Police and Crime Commissioner Clare Moody attended the ceremony.
Special Constables are voluntary officers with the same powers as regular officers, under the command of regular senior officers and with their own rank structure. They take part in frontline police work and can spend much of their time on the streets, doing intelligence-based patrols in crime hotspots or taking part in crime-prevention initiatives.
Mr Le Sueur said: “However, like the honorary police, we are the mainstay when it comes to policing events. We provide support during carnival season, at music festivals like Glastonbury, or sporting events such as the Badminton Horse Trials and more.
“I still follow with interest what my former colleagues in the honorary police are doing and I am sad to see that they still struggle to recruit. I would encourage people to consider joining, especially the younger generation. It is a real confidence builder and can be very rewarding.”
