DURHAM Police’s special constables have clocked up 20,000 hours policing the region’s streets this year.

Earlier this week, the 111-strong team of Durham Constabulary Special Constables worked more than 830 days - beating their 2013 annual total and delivering 5,000 hours more than the same period last year.

The Specials support their full time colleagues, undertaking a range of policing including responding to 999 calls, roads policing and supporting events such as the Miners Gala along with cyber-crime and fraud.

So far this year, the Specials have made 242 arrests of suspected offenders, attended 102 community events including Police and Community Together (PACT) meetings and attended 378 domestic incidents.

They have helped in the search for 93 missing persons, attended 593 anti-social behaviour incidents and had direct contact with 455 victims of crime.

Based on Home Office figures their contribution so far in 2015 is valued at over £310,000.

Temporary Chief Officer Dale Checksfield, head of the force’s Special Constabulary and by day an offshore installation manager for Shell UK Ltd, said: “The achievement of 20,000 hours of policing delivered to the people of County Durham and Darlington in the first nine months of this year recognises a significant contribution from all of our officers.”

The force plans to recruit further this year, starting on October 26.

Full details are available on the force website www.durham.police.uk/Join-us/Special-Constabulary/