ALMOST 200 applicants for Special Constable posts were received by North Yorkshire Police in a recent recruitment campaign.

More than 5,000 people visited a website to find out more about the scheme, with 178 applications submitted. Of these, 80 were deemed eligible and will go on to take part in interviews and assessment before commencing training.

Julia Mulligan, Police and Crime Commissioner for North Yorkshire said: “Doubling the number of Special Constables from 150 to 300 by 2016 is an important component of the Police and Crime Plan, so this is a welcome step forward in the recruitment.

“While this latest drive has been encouraging, I acknowledge that there is still a lot of work to be done for North Yorkshire Police to understand how it can better attract and retain Special Constables, if the police service is to meet this ambitious target.”

Assistant Chief Constable Paul Kennedy, of North Yorkshire Police, said: “I am very encouraged by the number of people who took the time to visit our Special Constable recruitment microsite which we set up especially for this campaign. It shows that there is a great deal of interest in volunteering for North Yorkshire Police, with people willing to give their time to help keep our local communities safe and secure.

“Special Constables are a vital part of the policing family, bringing with them a range of skills and abilities which complement those of their regular colleagues. I am looking forward to welcoming the successful candidates to North Yorkshire Police and seeing them go out on patrol alongside their regular colleagues."

Anyone interested in joining the Special Constabulary should visit nypspecials.com