Special Superintendent Approaches 45 Years’ Service

Cleveland Police’s longest serving Special Constable, and possibly one of the longest serving Special Constables in the UK, Karel Simpson, will have completed 45 years’ service as a Special Constable in March 2012 and will also qualify for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Karel joined the Specials in 1967, aged 19, in Hartlepool, which at that time was part of Durham Constabulary. He was also a member of 473 Squadron of the Air Training Corps (ATC) in Hartlepool as a Flight Sergeant, where he remained until he was 21.

Karel was promoted through the ranks, starting at Hartlepool in 1967 before working in Middlesbrough as Special District Commandant (Superintendent) and then being transferred to a combined Hartlepool and Stockton district. He also spent more time at Hartlepool and Stockton as separate districts before being posted to the Force Headquarters as Special Superintendent in 2010.

Special Superintendent Simpson said: “I joined the Special Constabulary because one of my friends in the ATC was a member of the Specials at that time. He was always talking about the things he got up to while out on duty. I thought it sounded like a very interesting job and as I have always had an interest in being able to help people, I thought I might give it a try.”

During his years as a Special Constable, Karel has received the Special Constabulary Long Service medal for nine years’ service with three additional bars, each for a further ten years’ service, the Queen’s Golden Jubilee medal and a number of other awards including a certificate of appreciation from the Chief Constable for excellent work in supporting Cleveland Police. He also received a local hero’s award for which he had to attend the Houses of Parliament for the presentation.

Karel has also been a member of the International Police Association for 25 years and is currently the Chairperson for the Durham and Cleveland branch.

Recently, he has been involved in working with pupils aged 8-11 in the Junior Neighbourhood Watch scheme at participating schools around the Stockton area, talking to them about good citizenship, what police officers do, the powers that the police have and the equipment that police officers carry, as well as talking about anti-social behaviour, and fireworks offences in the run up to Bonfire Night.

Karel continued: “If I can alter one child’s perception about the futility of a life of crime by listening to police officers and not ignoring them when being given advice, then it’s all been worth it. I believe that crime prevention at an early stage in a child’s life may stop the time and expense involved in dealing with crime in the future.”

Throughout his 44 plus years’ service covering six decades, Karel has been involved in assisting and supporting policing by dealing with incidents ranging from murders, burglaries, assaults, major fires and thefts to delivering a baby!

Karel was crewed with a regular officer in 1970 when they were called to an address in Hartlepool where a woman was giving birth. It was the woman’s fourth child, which Karel delivered before the midwife arrived on the scene.

On another occasion, he was also faced with an incident in which he was threatened with a shotgun by two men, and had to talk the men into handing the gun over.

Karel’s full-time employment before retiring in 2002, was at the local steelworks in Hartlepool and Redcar. During that time, he held positions as an instructor at the Hartlepool site for a number of years and he taught 16-18 year old production operators, who used to ask him to share his stories about policing with them.

Karel continued: “I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every minute of my time in the Special Constabulary. I love the diversity of people. 

“In all the time of my service I have found that being in both the Special Constabulary and full-time employment has been beneficial by using skills and experience gained in both, and this has given me great sense of satisfaction. When the time comes for me to retire I can say in all honesty, I have made a difference.”