Volunteers in Police Service
Encyclopedia
The Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) is a volunteer program that provides volunteer assistance to local police. The program is managed by the International Association of Chiefs of Police
in partnership with the White House Office of the USA Freedom Corps and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs. The program is part of the Citizen Corps
partner program.
International Association of Chiefs of Police
The International Association of Chiefs of Police was founded in Chicago in 1893 as the National Chiefs of Police Union. The primary goal of this organization was to apprehend and return criminals who had fled the agency jurisdictions in which they were wanted...
in partnership with the White House Office of the USA Freedom Corps and the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs. The program is part of the Citizen Corps
Citizen Corps
Citizen Corps is a United States national service program under the jurisdiction of the Department of Homeland Security that seeks to mobilize the population of the country against threats to national security as well as to assist in the recovery after a disaster or terrorist attack...
partner program.
Similar programmes
- The United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
has similar programme which was first started in 1992 whereby unpaid civilians hold the casual rank of Police Support VolunteerPolice Support VolunteerPolice Support Volunteer is a voluntary role within the ranks of British Police Forces that involves civilian and mainly office based duties. PSV schemes became popular after the millennium when forces were expanding and needed to be more connected to the community...
in British police forces and voluntarily work on a variety of police duties.
- AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
has some police forces, particularly New South Wales PoliceNew South Wales PoliceThe New South Wales Police Force is the primary law enforcement agency in the State of New South Wales, Australia. It is an agency of the Government of New South Wales within the New South Wales Ministry for Police...
, with programmes called Volunteers in Policing. The program is very similar to the British counterpart except volunteers wear a uniform of blue shirt and black trousers.