Did you know that last year 20,000 special constables in England and Wales provided 4 million hours of service to the community? And did you know that they did it for no pay?

Durham police are launching a new recruitment drive today for more Special Constables like this one:

Special Constable Dale Checksfield talking to me on duty around Crook in County Durham.

His force is looking for an extra 40 volunteers to give something back to their community, while gaining new skills.

This comes after BBC Newcastle revealed the force has been cutting front line police staff for 2 years – but Durham police says this recruitment drive has nothing to do with it.