DEVON and Cornwall's Special Constabulary is recruiting volunteer police officers to help protect and serve the community.

Volunteer police officers (VPO’s) give up their spare time to police their communities.

The role allows people the chance to work alongside regular police officers and staff.

VPO’s have the same powers as regular police officers.

They spend much of their time on the streets doing intelligence-based patrols in crime hotspots or taking part in crime-prevention initiatives.

This could mean anything from keeping town centres safe at night, to conducting house-to-house enquiries or helping prevent vulnerable members of the community from becoming victims of crime.

At present the Special Constabulary is made up of 184 VPO’s.

Special Chief Officer Ashley Frayling said: ‘We are looking for honest, respectful, selfless and motivated people who want to do something worthwhile in their spare time.

‘It is an incredibly rewarding role that requires only 16 hours of your time each month’.