A DRIVE to recruit volunteer police officers to take to the streets of Maldon has seen more than a dozen people come forward.

Maldon Town Council agreed to fund three special constables under an Essex Police scheme at a meeting in July.

Recruitment began in August and an event was held in the high street on Saturday to encourage more people to come forward.

Town councillor Mark Heard was joined by Witham special constable Simon Jesse.

They handed out leaflets to those interested and Crimestopper cards to encourage people to report crime.

Mr Heard said: “We believe that we may have 11 interested parties who are potential applicants.

“The scheme is open to all members of society and we welcome those who can bring any special skills to the town.

“I was delighted with the reaction of people many of whom stopped to speak to us to give their support the scheme and almost all welcomed the idea of police on the beat and really enjoyed the day engaging with local people.

“I hope this is another step to rebuild contact between the police and the public and I do hope the we can find three willing and able people to come forward to help shape and protect their community.”

To apply or find out more about the roles, visit www.essex.police.uk/join-the-police/special-constabulary.