Derbyshire Police to double special constable numbers

Derbyshire Police has revealed it wants to double the number of special constables in the force.

The force wants to recruit another 200 special constables by the end of 2011, bringing the total to 400.

Derbyshire Police spokeswoman Stephanie Watts said the number of volunteer officers had dropped over the past three years and more were needed.

She denied it was a way for the force to save money. In January, it said it needed to save £13m over two years.

"Our number of special constables has gone down," said Ms Watts. "This is about replacing the volunteers who have left, not about substituting paid officers.

"I wouldn't say this was policing on the cheap, it's about complementing what the regular officers do."