IT WAS an opening shift to remember for a new special constable after he arrested a man suspected of attacking a fellow officer.
Robin Durrant was just four hours into his first patrol of the Woodlands area of the city last Friday when a call came over the radio.
The 29-year-old was first at the scene along with a regular PC and tried to block the road with a police car in a bid to corner the suspect.
But when that failed he chased the 19-year-old man down, first grabbing his arm and then arresting him after a second foot race.
“I told him to stand still but he just legged it,” SC Durrant said.
“So I went straight after him. It must have only been a few seconds but it felt like much longer, I was determined not to let him get away.
“There’s a lot to remember though when you arrest someone and you have to be able to fully justify your actions when you get to the station.
“When I got the custody sergeant’s desk I had to explain the reasons for my arrest and the relevant points of law that I had used – if I’m honest it was all pretty daunting.”
The man he arrested was charged with being concerned in the production of a Class B drug, abstracting electricity and assaulting a designated person in the execution of their duty.
Special constables are volunteers who give up at least 16 hours a month for the force. More than 50 new specials were recruited at the end of last year with around half having completed their 16-week training programme and now out on the streets of the West Midlands.