Jersey has a long tradition of honorary policing dating back several centuries. Each of the Island's 12 parishes has an Honorary Police force, whose members are elected by parishioners and who serve on a voluntary, unpaid basis.
The Honorary Police make a significant contribution to community safety in Jersey. Not only do they provide an informal policing service at the heart of their parish communities but they are also the gatekeepers to our unique criminal justice system.
Many of the tasks performed by the Honorary Police serve to improve the quality of life for their parishioners and contribute greatly to the social cohesion of our parishes. These include monitoring licensed premises, firearms suitability assessments, welfare and property checks, community patrols and traffic management.
The Honorary Police are responsible for a lot of the Island's road safety enforcement interventions, including the detection of reported speeding offences
The Honorary Police provide an invaluable service in the policing of major events such as the Battle of Flowers, the International Air Display and The Weekender. They also offer a vital resource in the event of major incidents and emergencies.
The St Helier Honorary Police support the policing of the town’s night time economy by providing CCTV operators, licensing checks and patrols alongside States of Jersey Police officers.
In cases where a missing person is considered to be at particularly high risk of harm, the capacity of the Honorary Police to support searches with resources and detailed parish knowledge is invaluable.
The Honorary Police form an integral part of Jersey’s unique criminal justice system. The States Police have a role to investigate and detect crime whereas the Centenier, the elected community representative, decides at which point an offender should enter the justice system, if at all.
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