Special Constable Patrick Rarden recognised as one of the country's finest
A City of London Police officer who worked with the project team on the development of the NFIB has been recognised as one of the country’s leading Special Constables (SC).
SC Patrick Rarden picked up the top gong from new Police Minister Nick Herbert at the NPIA Special Constable and Police Support Volunteer Awards, held in Westminster.
His award recognised how his banking experience has assisted key fraud cases and the building of the NFIB. He was also acknowledged for his work in setting up a charity to help rough sleepers.
Patrick is one of 82 City of London Police ‘Specials’, who are unpaid members of the public who perform at least 200 hours of duty each year, typically during busy periods on Thursday and Friday evenings.
Patrick has been with the force since 2007, during which time his banking knowledge and linguistic expertise has proved vital in national and international operations and he is currently working on a major investigation with the SFO. Patrick is also fluent in French and German and regularly uses his skills to interpret during official meetings and briefings, with a recent assignment seeing him attending an event in Lille staged by the European Union, French Gendarmerie and the NFIB in Lille.
He also provides high-level training for officers at the force and beyond, explaining the workings of financial markets, hedge funds and complex investment instruments.
Alongside his counter-fraud work, Patrick maintains a regular presence on the beat. It was while on duty that he saw first-hand the amount of food that went to waste outside City food shops.
This inspired him to set up a new charity, ‘Waste Not, Want Not’, to help feed rough sleepers. The project distributes discarded food from sandwich shops to feed hundreds of needy people in centres across London. The scheme is run with the support of sandwich chain EAT, the Salvation Army and the Fruiterers Livery Company Charitable Trust, as well as Thames Reach and Veterans Aid.
Patrick joined the police as a member of the Honourable Artillery Company Special Constabulary Detachment.
Det Chief Supt Steve Head, who heads City of London Police’s Economic Crime Directorate said: “Patrick has shown himself to be the yardstick on how Specials can make a major contribution to the success of the force and the NFIB. His unique expertise and passion for the role make him an indispensable member of the team, and we are delighted this has been reflected in the NPIA’s awards.
”City of London Police is proud to be managing the NFIB and to be the national lead force for investigating economic crime. To carry out the specialist investigations we are involved in requires a highly talented and specialist team. That Patrick gives his time voluntarily to be a part of that is a credit both to him and the force.”
