WANTED: volunteers willing to act as mentors to vulnerable people who often come into contact with the police. The volunteers would befriend those who are constantly getting into minor scrapes, and hopefully help them turn their lives around.

It aims to be a ‘personal, human approach’ to helping those on the fringes of criminal behaviour before they go too far, says Natasha Almond of North Yorkshire Police. But it would also free up hundreds of policing hours.

It sounds like an excellent idea if the right volunteers can be found. If you think you could be one of them, the police would love to hear from you.