Volunteer police officers double in numbers (From Bucks Free Press)

Volunteer police officers double in numbers

8:10am Sunday 13th May 2012 in Beaconsfield By James Nadal

VOLUNTEERS who work for the police for free in their own time have doubled in numbers in the past four years.

Across Thames Valley there are twice as many Special Constables now, the force revealed this week.

Special constables are part-time volunteers who have all the same powers as police officers when on duty.

There are now 719 in the region, with another 700 people applying and waiting to be processed.

One of Marlow's own Special Constables, John McCawley, was awarded Thames Valley Police's Special Constable of the year in 2009.

He spent 12,000 hours doing the volunteer work that year.

Chief Officer Nigel Woodley, said: "I am immensely proud that we have succeeded in doubling the number of special constables in four years.

"This has involved considerable team effort.

"This completes the ambitious target to increase the number of special constables in Thames Valley Police to 700 when I took up my appointment as Chief Officer of the Special Constabulary."

In Anglo Saxon times they were known as peace officers and are regarded as the forerunners to the current police force.

Despite the doubling in the figures in recent years there were a huge amount more during World War Two - 130,000 compared to 20,000 across the country today.