Special constables say ‘#OhYesWeDid’
William Telford Senior Reporter and Business Specialist
08:33, 04 Jan 2026
South Devon special constables assisted with the arrest of someone at a pantomime(Image: Devon and Cornwall Police)
Off-duty special constables in Devon helped in the arrest of someone who assaulted an emergency worker at a panto.
In a post on social media, South Devon Specials said the incident happened in December and was one of six arrests members of its team assisted in “whilst off duty” that month.
The post, which gives no further details of the pantomime incident but did include the humorous hashtag “ #OhYesWeDid”, also said specials helped in the arrest of someone for neglect of a child near a school.
And they helped out in four arrests for “immigration-related offences”.
The post said the off-duty specials needed to intervene in these incidents because they were “unfolding in front of them”.
The post read: “In December alone our team helped make six #arrests whilst off duty and needing to intervene to deal with incidents unfolding in front of them.
“4x Immigration related offences, 1x Neglect of a child nr school, 1x Assault Emergency Worker while at a panto! #OhYesWeDid #NeverOffDuty.”
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Special constables are volunteer police officers who give their spare time to police their communities.
This volunteer role gives people the chance to work alongside regular police officers and staff.
There is a team of 28 special constables working across South Devon. In 2025 they volunteered more than 11,499 hours of duty time.
Among other jobs, they were out in Dartmoor last week carrying out road safety patrols and checking for drunk driving.
They have also used speed cameras on the moor’s roads and carried out checks for wildfires starting.
The Devon and Cornwall force is currently recruiting special constables and said applicants can “make a difference in your community”.
Anyone interested should visit the Devon and Cornwall Police website.
However several jobs are considered incompatible with the role of a special constable, the force said.
The list mainly includes people working in the legal and justice professions or law enforcement, other emergency services, the armed forces and “persons taking an active part in politics” including “councillors who work within local or regional councils”.