A WELSH Ambulance Service technician has been recognised for his 30 years’ service as a special constable.
Giles George, who works at Knighton Ambulance Station, has volunteered with the Special Constabulary since 1986.
Working with Dyfed-Powys Police, he has responsibility for the management and deployment of 20 special constables throughout Powys, and has also served with West Mercia Police.
The 50-year-old said there are a number of similarities which make combining the two roles useful.
He said: “There are many occasions when you work together as emergency services and there are some hugely transferable skills.
“Since working with the Welsh Ambulance Service it’s easy to give a bit of support if there are any injuries and you can also help to save ambulance resources.
“There are lots of people who know who I work for and we cover a lot of big events such as the Royal Welsh Show and the farmers’ rallies which altogether about 2,000 people attend.”
Giles added that he was delighted to be recognised for his long service.
He said: “It’s always nice to get that recognition and I wouldn’t have done it for 30 years if I didn’t find it so rewarding.
“The minimum requirement for specials is 16 hours a week, which I personally don’t find to be an issue.
“You don’t have to do it all in one go so it’s very flexible, which is good.”
Rob Jeffery, the trust’s head of operations for the Hywel Dda and Powys areas, said: “It’s great to see Giles getting the recognition he deserves for his years of dedication to the Special Constabulary.
“Caring for and protecting the public in two different roles is no mean feat, and his commitment to both emergency services deserves our full respect.”
Dyfed-Powys Police Chief Constable Simon Prince said: “I’d like to sincerely thank Giles for his dedicated 30 years of service volunteering as a special constable.
“The Special Constabulary provide a very valuable resource to policing in Dyfed-Powys, they are a key part of our police family and engage in operations and day-to-day patrol.
“Special constables form part of frontline police work spending o lot of their time on patrol in communities, gathering information in crime hotspots or taking part in crime-prevention initiatives.
“This could mean anything from keeping town centres safe at night through to conducting house-to-house enquiries or helping prevent vulnerable members of the community from becoming victims of crime.
“We congratulate him on reaching such a fantastic milestone, and are extremely grateful for his long-standing contribution.
“It’s also good to know he still finds the role so rewarding after all this time, and is an example to our new specials.”