Berwick tech guru spends his spare time cracking down on crime at a special constable at Northumbria Police

In his full-time job, Miles works as a principal consultant for Waracle, an information technology company which designs digital products. Miles describes his day job as ‘challenging’, but in a very different way to being part of the Northumbria Police team in Berwick.

In fact, the 62-year-old reveals he finds volunteering with Northumbria Police helps him to become fully absorbed in a different world and gives him a break from his day-to-day work.

Miles’ journey as a special constable began five years ago whilst completing other voluntary work with the charity ‘Street Assist’ in Edinburgh city centre.

Working on the scheme saw him cross paths with several officers, who suggested he consider a voluntary role with the police.

Miles then applied and hasn’t looked back since. He’s now been a special constable for more than five years and has brought his skills to Berwick with Northumbria Police for just over one.

Having been part of Scotland’s Army Reserve until his mid-50s, Miles missed the camaraderie which is a feeling he’s rekindled since becoming a special constable. He said: “Northumbria has some extremely knowledgeable officers who champion special constables and allow them to fully develop into experienced officers.”

The father of two – and more recently grandfather – says volunteering helps keep him grounded, saying: “I am extremely privileged to be able to be able to volunteer in my spare time. The team I work with is amazing and I find this to be such a stimulating and fulfilling role.

“I’ve found that coming to this position as a slightly more mature applicant has only meant I have more life experience and that has given me the confidence it takes to be a special.”

Special constables are volunteer police officers who play a key role in helping to fight crime and keep communities safe. There are more than 130 members of Northumbria’s Special Constabulary, who have the same uniform and same powers as regular officers and deal with the same types of incidents as their colleagues – the only difference is they’re volunteers.