Our Trustees and Advisors

About the ASCO team

1. Ashley Frayling (Trustee & Chair)

Dr Ashley Frayling currently serves as a Special Constabulary Superintendent leading the South Devon BCU within Devon and Cornwall Police in the UK, and full time criminology senior lecturer at the University of Exeter. Ashley has been a voluntary police officer for nearly 19 years joining in 2006 and has served as a specialist football spotter, neighbourhood/community and response officer and currently is the force lead for Professional Standards for Special Constables within Devon and Cornwall Police. She is has been part of the Chief Officer Focus Group, and the only special constable on the Force level Working Group for professional standards within Devon and Cornwall and founding member of a Women in the Special Constabulary D&C Network. 

Ashley has been working within ASCO for a number of years holding various positions including the professional standards strategic lead, treasure, deputy chair and trustee. She has been working alongside Dr Iain Britton on the review for the future, gender research within the Special Constabulary and sits on VLEO board of advisors. As the founder of the National Women in the Special Constabulary Conference, Ashley is working alongside other colleagues to create a platform for women in the Special Constabulary to be supported, mentored and to share their experiences. At the University of Exeter Ashley is a member of the Policing and Evidence Group developing links between the University and Devon and Cornwall Police, is a founding member of a Violence and Justice University wide research network, and has worked in force for a year as a evidence based policing fellow. She has also become involved in Op Hampshire helping to add the voice of the Special Constabulary into the national picture on police assaults and welfare. She has completed a Policing Lab funded research project on Wellbeing of Special Constables within Devon and Cornwall Police and has research interests in gender and the Special Constabulary, community responders, hybrid-auxiliary/reservist policing.

2. CJ Marshall (Trustee & Vice Chair)

CJ is a Trustee and Vice-Chair of ASCO, leading on the recently formed academic research network.
Having been a Special Constable within the Metropolitan Special Constabulary for 13 years, CJ is now part of the Chief Officer Group as Special Assistant Chief Officer with portfolio responsibility for specialisms and pan-London operations.

Supported by the College of Policing, CJ is conducting doctoral research in policing, crime and security; more specifically, sociology within policing and the use of volunteers within the UK policing context. Primarily a qualitative researcher and part of the Met’s Research and Evidence-based Policing Group, CJ provides insight to colleagues for innovative projects and collaborations with universities and academic institutes. CJ also sits on the University of West London’s Research and Impact Committee, overseeing the development and implement of research strategies, the impact it is having and ensuring standards are maintained to the highest level. CJ also recently became a Fellow of the Police Foundation, the UK’s only policing think-tank and a Research Affiliate at the University of Leeds ESRC Vulnerability & Policing Futures Research Centre.

Previously, CJ ran the office of a Crossbench Peer and was an Independent Panel Member of the Thames Valley Police and Crime Panel, scrutinising the Police and Crime Commissioner and their Deputy, their strategic plans and annual budgets

3. Matt Whalley (Trustee & Secretary)

Matt holds the positions of Secretary and Digital, Data and Technology (DDaT) Lead at ASCO (since 2022) as he has a passion for continuous improvement enabled through technology. Following a career as a regular Police officer in several Forces across a wide variety of roles, Matt re-joined policing as a Special in Cambridgeshire leading on digital learning and development workstreams to support new officers in gaining skills quickly and effectively. Matt undertook a degree in Strategy, Leadership and Project Management from the Open University whilst working full-time in policing, leaving to pursue new challenges within the financial technology and policing sectors, working in early start-ups using AI. 

Matt has had a portfolio career involving DDaT but his passion has always been around public service, and so he is delighted to support ASCO in this role, finding innovative ways of using digital to empower members and trustees alike, in providing maximum value for our preciously given volunteer hours of service, to ultimately make the public safer. 

4. Philip Clare (Trustee & Treasurer)

Philip joined the Met Police in February 1989 as a regular officer. He started his career at Southwark Police station. In 1996 has promoted to Sergeant & transferred to Greenwich Police Station. He then transferred to the new ‘Transport OCU’ which dealt with crime on buses & taxis in London. Another transfer ensured & Phil became a Senior Traffic Investigating Officer dealing with Fatal Traffic Collisions. Another Promotion to Inspector in 2005 & Phil was posted to Westminster Borough & then latterly to Lewisham Police Station. He retired in 2018.

Phil spent many years as a Federation Rep for both Sergeants & Inspectors. He also was the founding secretary & is now the treasurer for the Emerald Society, which is a staff association for Irish officers.

Phil has been one of the main driving forces behind the UK Police Unity Tour, which is a charity bike ride to raise money for Care of Police Survivors. This has raised over £1.4 million in 12 years. Phil is the national treasurer for this & has been since it’s inception in 2011.

Phil returned as a Specials Inspector with the Metropolitan Police in 2019 as he explained “My main reason for returning to the police was I needed access to the traffic garage where our equipment for the Unity Tour is stored. Without a warrant card I can’t get in. However, it soon became apparent that the knowledge & experience I had gain over my police career I could use to help, support & train the SC in London. Which is something I have really enjoyed doing. I’m currently one of the facilitators for the Front-Line Leadership Program, which is part of the Mets response to the Casey Review. With my Federation background, I have been able to advise & support officer who are currently under investigation or just need advice”

In 2022 Phil was elected to be a trustee & the treasure of ASCO.

5. Jamie Allan (Appointed Trustee)

Jamie is currently a Special within the Lothian and Borders Division of Police Scotland, and has  served since 2007 where he first joined Grampian Police whilst studying law at the University of Aberdeen. He was the first Special in Scotland to receive the Scottish Government’s Millennium Volunteer Award and was an integral part of the Aberdeen City Centre Unit Specials team which received a Force Excellence Award.

Jamie has been ASCO Scotland Representative since 2021 and recently became a Trustee. During his time with ASCO, Jamie has been instrumental in establishing a significant membership base and supporting team for ASCO in Scotland and forging new, strong links with the Force Executive and Volunteer Coordination Unit to advance the strategy and focus on Special Constables in Scotland. He is Public Order trained and enjoys a variety of policing duties within his division and local response unit.

6. David Pedrick-Friend (Appointed Trustee)

David is the Chief Officer leading the Special Constabulary in Gloucestershire, and a member of the Chief Constable’s executive board. As a subject matter expert and critical friend to the Constabulary he leads executive and organisational understanding of social action and Citizens in Policing.

David is the Immediate past Chair & Trustee of ASCO and was the driving force behind developing ASCO, (The Association of Special Constabulary Officers), as a national charity to represent every Special Constable, championing the skills, value & legitimacy that Special Constables as active citizens bring to policing and to our communities. He is also a Founder & Director of The Global Foundation for Community Safety Volunteering, (GFCSV). This not-for-profit Foundation works internationally to bring together data, evidence, research, innovation and good practice across police volunteers and community safety volunteering. Assembling the evidence globally to enable individuals and communities to participate and volunteer effectively. The Foundation supports internationally the development of evidence-based policy, practice and innovation, empowering individuals to bring their skills, experience, passions and commitment to making a real difference for the safety of all in their communities.

David is also a member of the board of advisors at the International Volunteer Law Enforcement Officer Alliance. The VLEOA Charity leads in the training and support of reserve and auxiliary law enforcement officers world-wide. The Alliance assists sheriffs, chiefs of police, county commissions and city councils in the formation or expansion of volunteer, reserve, and auxiliary police programs, which allows communities to maintain the safety and security of their citizens and increase citizen/police positive interactions.
David was the first Special Constable in the U.K. to qualify as a police Football Intelligence Officer (FIO), football liaison and football “Spotter” trained by Greater Manchester Police and The United Kingdom football policing unit. (UKFPU), also he successfully completed the Police senior leaders course at Bramshill Police College and holds Chartered managers institute qualifications in police leadership.
Aside from volunteering in policing since 2008, David is a retired health and social care manager, was a registered Local authority residential social care manager, company director and owned and operated a residential social care business specialising in supporting adults with complex needs and challenging behaviour, he also previously served in the military, medically retiring in 2002 following injuries received in service.

Through ASCO David seeks to recognise and champion the contribution that volunteer police officers make protecting communities, improving confidence in local policing, delivering high quality neighbourhood policing, improving community engagement, public perceptions and trust, and changing culture. ASCO represents the views of Special Constables to influence policing strategy, policy and professional practice, at a national level and also in individual forces. Volunteer Police Officers bring authenticity; volunteers leading, supporting and representing their fellow citizens in policing.

David meets with Government ministers & members from all parties, attends and has been a member of a range of national boards including the College of Policing Professional Committee, the Home Office Honours Awards & Memorials Board, the Citizens in Policing National joint consultation forum, the Special Constabulary National Working Group and he meets regularly with colleagues from the Home Office, National Police Chiefs Council, Police Superintendents Association, Police Federation, Independent Office of Police Conduct, and others.

As previous ASCO Chair David had been directly engaged with the College of Policing & other national stakeholders in work to review and develop the Code of ethics; Ethical Policing Principles & Guidance for Ethical and Professional Behaviour in Policing, code of standards across the service.

The charity (ASCO) promotes and celebrates the role and value of Special Constables within policing highlighting the value that direct citizen involvement and social action brings to communities, adding capacity, and improving connectivity with all communities, and delivering value for money.
David believes that Special Constables are the subject matter experts on volunteer policing, that they have lived experience bringing a broad social perspective and transferable skills from lives outside of policing. Policing is too important to be left to the police alone and David, ASCO and the Foundation, continue to advocate for civic engagement in society through direct citizen participation, driving cultural change, adding legitimacy and rebuilding public trust & confidence in policing.

7. Iain Britton (Adviser) 

Dr Iain Britton is an academic researcher and consultant in the field of volunteers in policing. Iain is a Founder and Director of the Global Foundation for Community Safety Volunteering. Through the Global Foundation, his priorities in coming years include to build an international online Global Observatory of Volunteer Policing, bringing together data and evidence internationally, and creating a hub for innovation and best practice. Another key ambition is to research and evaluate the experience and effectiveness of volunteers in policing, and also more broadly volunteering across crime prevention, community safety, criminal justice, and emergency services. Iain enjoys working with ambitious organisations and governments who see the potential for volunteers and the impact that volunteering has, and who have an appetite to innovate and drive change.

Internationally, Iain has researched with police volunteers in Japan, Malaysia, Canada, the Netherlands, Dubai Police, and the USA. He is a Churchill Fellow (2023) and through the Fellowship programme has undertaken a recent study trip in autumn 2023 visiting 21 volunteer auxiliary and reserve police programmes in Ontario Canada, Los Angeles (including LAPD and LASD), Phoenix, Orlando, Washington DC, NYPD, and in the Netherlands. During 2024 he has visited Auxiliary police programmes in Massachusetts and also the Assistant Police in Estonia.

In England and Wales, Iain has led on delivering national surveys of police volunteer perspectives and experience, alongside national data benchmarking, national pilot evaluations, a national Police Uplift programme project on longer-service in the Special Constabulary, and a return on investment calculator and case studies work partnering with the College of Policing, as well as having undertaken more than forty individuals evaluation and research projects with individual local police forces across the country. Iain has for the past four years also worked with Police Scotland, including undertaking research on longer-serving volunteer Special Constables, and more recently is helping to deliver a national evaluation of Police Scotland Youth Volunteers (PSYVs). Together with his academic colleague Dr Ashley Frayling, ASCO national Chair, he is leading on a national project in the UK focused on enhancing female volunteer participation and experience.

Dr Britton is Research Fellow at the Institute for Public Safety, Crime and Justice, University of Northampton (UK), Visiting Associate Professor at the University of Central Florida (USA), and Visiting Scholar at University Tunku Abdul Rahman (Malaysia). He has nationally supported the Association of Special Constabulary Officers for several years