DURHAM Police is opening its doors to a new intake of special constables later this month.

The specials, as they are commonly known, are trained volunteer police officers with the full powers of their colleagues.

Their role is to help fight crime and make communities safer.

Specials are encouraged from all walks of life, including teachers, taxi drivers and secretaries, and are expected to give 16 hours of their time each month.

Deputy chief constable Michael Banks, of Durham Police, said: “We are a community-based force with a strong family spirit amongst all of our staff, and our specials are an integral part of our policing family.

“We are keen to recruit individuals from all backgrounds and actively encourage those from diverse backgrounds to apply, we want to represent all of our communities within County Durham and Darlington.”

Recruitment sessions are taking place at Bishop Auckland Police Station on Tuesday, September 16; Darlington College, on Thursday, September 18 and Aykley Heads, in Durham, Monday, September 22. All sessions will be held between 7pm and 8pm.

Those interested are asked to call the human resources team to secure a place in advance on 0191-3752123 or human.resources@durham.pnn.police.uk

A live webchat will also take place at durham.gov.uk on Wednesday, September 17, at 7pm.

Applications go live on Friday, September 26.