A VOLUNTEER police officer from Aberystwyth who was faced with a man making threats with a knife on his very first shift has called on more people to sign up as a special constable.

Haydn Bradley-Davies has been a special constable since July 2016, and was the youngest on his intake at the age of 19.

He now volunteers between 30 and 40 hours a month patrolling the streets of Aberystwyth.

During his time on the force he has escorted people out of pubs for being “rowdy”, gone in armed with a taser with a man making threats with a knife, and dealt with gas leaks and fires.

SC Bradley-Davies applied to the special constabulary after watching a daytime TV programme, hoping to get a taste of life as a police officer. He now volunteers alongside his full time job with the Welsh Government.

“I remember my first shift well – it wasn’t a quiet night to get started,” he said. “Within an hour we were called to a pub in town where someone had been escorted out because they were being rowdy. Later on we went up to Machynlleth with a taser because someone was making threats with a knife.”

SC Bradley-Davies said that you “never know” what the next shift may bring, but that he feels like he “makes a real difference.

For information on applying to be a special constable, visit www.dyfed-powys.police.uk/en/join-the-police/special-constables

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