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SARAH STONER
"SPECIAL Constables have been pounding the beat in Sunderland and County Durham for the past 175 years. Sunderland Today looks back at their history. FORMULA 1 racing driver Nigel Mansell was one, as were Emperor Napoleon III and TV presenter Judith Chalmers. Even Jack Hubert, the film and theatre star, managed a stint in the Special Constabulary, working as a commandant in London during the 1940s. Indeed, Special Constables have been playing a vital role in policing Britain for the past 175 years – and are just as necessary today as they were back in 1831." It seems that Durham was one of the first forces to use specials," recalls police historian Harry Wynne from the North Eastern Police History Society." It was during the time of the strike of 1832, when serious outrages were perpetrated upon the lead miners of North Hetton Colliery."
