More Special Constables are being recruited to the West Mercia Police Force, with 130 new applicants currently being assessed.

West Mercia Police & Crime Commissioner Bill Longmore said: “The subject of Special Constables has been in the spotlight recently, and I agree with the points that have been raised. We do want to see more Special Constables and we also wanted to develop a better recruitment process for them. That is now in place, as well as a new training process which offers more flexibility for applicants.”

“Having more Special Constables to support regular officers is something I raised a long time ago, and considerable effort has gone into setting up this new process, which only started this month, and is clearly already showing positive results.

“I would encourage anyone who wants to volunteer to be a Special Constable to do so. All you need is a desire to make your community a better place to live and work in.

“Special Constables have the same policing powers as regular officers and there are also opportunities to work within specialist areas such as Criminal Investigation and Roads Policing,” he added.

To apply to become a Special Constable and learn more about the role please visit https://www.westmercia.police.uk/specialconstables