THE work of the Special Constabulary in England’s biggest county has been singled out for praise as their numbers and workload increase.

Between April 2012 and March 2013, North Yorkshire’s Specials - all part-time volunteers - gave more than 40,000 hours of service compared to 26,948 in the previous 12 months.

The figures show that on average each of the county’s 155 Specials gave more than 23 hours of service every month, an increase of seven-and-a-half hours or 48 per cent per officer.

And the number of voluntary hours worked rose to an average of 30 hours per officer in November last year when severe flooding affected the county.

The Specials’ leader, Superintendent Richard Anderson, said they had proved an “outstanding contribution” to local policing.

“Their efforts were particularly appreciated during the spate of severe weather which hit the county late in 2012, resulting in widespread flooding across the county. The Specials who volunteered put in long hours, even after they had already done a full day’s work.”

The figures were released as two more Specials finished their probation period and with another eight about to do so.

Police and crime commissioner Julia Mulligan has pledged to double the number of Specials in the county and a recruitment campaign is planned for later in the year.

Anyone interested in learning more about the Special Constabulary should visit northyorkshire.police.uk/specials.