Employer Supported Policing

What is Employer Supported Policing?

Employer Supported Policing (ESP) is a powerful partnership between some of London’s major employers and the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) providing police training for staff, contributing directly to the security of your staff and premises, building police relationships and directly helping to make London safer.

How does it work?

The scheme is simple but very powerful. As a supporting employer, you allow your staff to be trained as Special Constables - volunteer police officers. These Specials, once trained, will carry out patrols in key areas in London with full police powers and in many cases alongside experienced police officers. Your staff are required to carry out 26 shifts per year with the Met and in most cases patrols are relevant or even local to the employing sector i.e. your organisation or sector/industry. Your sponsorship of staff is flexible.

In return, you receive a highly skilled, highly trained member of staff. They carry out their usual "day job" at their workplace but now have the benefit of police training and experience, bringing with it a whole host of knowledge and skills including confidence assertiveness, conflict resolution and better links with local police teams and senior officers.

The Met provide the selection process, administration, vetting, medicals etc, plus training, equipment, uniform, ongoing development and of course a wide range of skills and experience simply not found elsewhere. You provide your staff with paid leave to attend the training course and one day per fortnight for their regular Specials duties once fully trained.

There are many other benefits, a number of which are listed here. We also ask that you give us feedback on the business impact of your staff taking part in ESP so that we can measure the success of the ESP project.

Success Stories

ESP partners include those in the public and private sector, now including well known companies, small firms, local authorities, NHS trusts and more. However ESP started off as a single-sector scheme now known as ESP Shop Watch, with staff from the retail industry. It has proven to be a success and now the Met support their civilian Police Staff with paid leave to train and patrol as Special Constables. After Shop Watch officially launched in Camden, these results soon followed:

• Audited losses in two retailers in Camden halved
• One officer in his workplace prevented five cases of credit card fraud totalling an estimated potential loss of £1500.00 - £2,000. Thousands of pounds worth of stolen goods have been removed by the Specials.
• On average, one arrest was made per tour of duty by the Shop Watch specials. Several arrests so far have included offences for shoplifting and fraud, as well as drunk and disorderly, Breach of the Peace, and other anti-social behaviour.
• Staff are very positive about the scheme and are enjoying the duties. Since becoming Specials their confidence has increased which is additionally helping them back in the workplace - some have been promoted as a result.
• Positive feedback from local retailers - the officers are going into stores so that retailers know they are out and about and that there is a uniformed presence.

  The CSR and staff development aspects of ESP alone mean that you certainly don’t need to have public-facing premises to benefit.

  The scheme has since launched in Oxford Street & Regent Street and many other locations. Similar strong results have been delivered in the West End scheme. Key findings include overall levels of crime going down and the fact that 93% of day job line managers of recruits would recommend the retail ESP scheme to other retailers.

  ESP is open to virtually any reputable employer.