IT'S a role which has seen him police a bomb blast in York, murders and royal visits - but after a 41-year career Jerry Holland is stepping down. 

Special constabulary chief officer Jerry Holland, 65, became a volunteer police officer in 1974 during the IRA’s mainland bombing campaign in order to do something practical to help the police. 

He joined Sussex Police and then West Mercia Police before joining the North Yorkshire force when his job as a sales and marketing director brought him to York. 

His highlights have been policing the Pope's visit to York in 1982 and York City's home FA cup draws against Liverpool and Arsenal at Bootham Crescent. 

He said: “I worked regular night shifts in the city centre and on one occasion I turned in for a briefing on the second night of the Leeds riots to be welcomed as the only special in a room of nearly 50 officers.

“In 1989 I led a team of special constables who were deployed to cordon off the Penguin book shop in Coppergate when a suspicious device was planted there following the publication of Salmon Rushdie's Satanic Verses, arriving at the scene only seconds after the bomb had exploded - another lucky escape."

Chief Constable Dave Jones paid tribute to Jerry’s long service and dedication to policing in North Yorkshire.

He said: “We are very sad to see Jerry leave. He is an inspirational leader and mentor and will leave behind a great legacy. I would like to personally thank him for his selfless dedication to policing and for the thousands of hours of his free time he has given up to helping keep the communities of North Yorkshire safe."

As the Special Constabulary’s most senior officer in the force, Jerry was responsible for around 170 volunteer police officers.

In 2006 he was awarded the Glenn Goodman Trophy which is awarded annually to special constables who have made a significant contribution to policing. The trophy is awarded in memory of Special Constable Glenn Goodman, who was murdered near Tadcaster in 1992 by IRA terrorists.