Introduction

Although the term “volunteer policing” appears to be straightforward and unambiguous, this chapter gives an introduction to the concepts of volunteering, policing, and volunteer policing and why they may be blurred and indistinct in different countries and communities. The chapter then provides a basic understanding of the early role of volunteer police in both the United Kingdom and the United States. This chapter also provides important key terms that are often used interchangeably, while discussing how the roles of reserve police, police specials, and auxiliary police may be different depending on jurisdiction. Finally, the chapter introduces issues related to volunteer policing that are important in understanding the context of non-paid police personnel, comparing and contrasting the American and British systems.