A BEAUTY therapist, football referee and mortgage advisor are among the latest to take to the beat in North Yorkshire.

Ten new Special Constables were welcomed to the force at an attestation ceremony held at Northallerton Magistrates’ Court.

The attestation – when the officers are sworn in and given their warrant cards - followed the volunteer officers’ intensive, initial training period of three months.

They will now be assigned a tutor constable on their neighbourhood beats who will guide them through the next phase of their training, which can take up to two years.

Assistant Chief Constable Ken McIntosh welcomed the ten to the force and said: “Being a special enables each individual to make a genuine difference to the lives of people across North Yorkshire, they should be very proud of themselves.”

Special Constables are volunteer officers who give up their own time to support their regular colleagues.

They play a key role in local policing and have the same powers in law as regular police officers, including the power of arrest. However, the role of specials can also extend into more complex areas of policing.

They volunteer a minimum of four hours a week to the force, forming a vital link between the regular police and the local community.