ONCE the day shift is over most people are looking forward to putting their feet up for a bit but for a Special Constable with Hertfordshire Police, the work has just begun.

The county is highly regarded as one of the safest in which to live and work, a testament to the the professionalism and the commitment of the men and women who make up the Hertfordshire Constabulary - both regular officers and special constables.

Entirely voluntary, the Special Constabulary exists to meet the increasing demands made on the regular police service and lend support to the local police officers who provide such an essential service to the community.

Special constables are fully trained so they can perform a variety of tasks from routine patrols, public order situations, observations, traffic legislation and recording details at the scene of a crime. Drawn from all walks of life, many specials appreciate the change from their usual occupations or lifestyle and enjoy the variety that police work offers.

For Stella Brimblecombe, who joined the police force last year, becoming a special has informed her about "the other side of police work".

Stella, in her 30s, tells me she first worked in a contacts centre and then moved out to work in a station as an enquiry officer.

Having moved to Hertfordshire five years ago, Stella says she has mainly worked in public services within the NHS, as a local government officer and an office manager for independent human rights agency, Liberty. Becoming a special has allowed her to get out from behind the desk.

"My work hours as a special constable are from 10pm to 7am," says Stella. "The duties are the same as regular officers, dealing with crimes as they come in and being visible in the community.

"We do a minimum of 16 hours per month, which is usually made up of two eight-hour shifts. I might do 24-hours in a month but I fit in the hours around my fulltime job and home life. If I do a night shift then the next day I'll have a rest day.

"I'll start on a Friday night shift being called out to jobs by the control room such as intervention in cases of drunken disorder, bulgaries in progress, suspected domestic violence and speeding offences. I'll then report back and take a ten minute break back at the station while I process the paperwork. Sometimes we might be making arrests following on from an earier incident or just talking to the public and having a visible presence and doing spot checks on the street. It's also about putting people's minds at rest and telling they're not in trouble in any way, they just need to produce their documents as a formality.

"You learn so much from being on the desk and processing forms, which is complementary to situations you might face on the street. I've seen it from the other side. The two roles definitely complement each other, I have the best of both worlds really."

I ask Stella if she's found it easy to get into the night shift routine.

"I'm not used to working nights, I'm usually in bed and not up and about running around in full kit. I couldn't do seven nights a week but after the odd night shift I don't feel out of sorts. You'll do two nights in a row at most.

"I was quite nervous the first time when faced with two groups of youths shouting and screaming at each other and you've got to keep them separated, but I had loads of support from the other officers. They let me take a back seat really and observe. It was good to see how experienced officers deal with the situation.

"My impression is that you'll get nothing but support from the regular officers, they're glad to see us and to have an extra pair of hands and eyes.

" You go through very intense training in theory, law, rules and regs, policies and they focus on staff protection and defensive tactics.

"It may seem odd when you're groundpinning your partner by kneeling on their head, but you do really make good friends."

COULD YOU BE A SPECIAL CONSTABLE?

- Ability to think clearly in a difficult situation

- Willingness to learn

- Acceptance of discipline and self-discipline

- Acceptance of responsibility

- Ability to get on with people

- Energy and determination

- Enthusiasm

- Common sense

- Integrity

- Physical fitness and stamina

- Tolerance, fairness and impartiality

- Good communication skills

Details: 0800 3583990 or www.herts-recruitment.police.uk