A volunteer police officer in Bolton has spoken about the enjoyment he gets from his role during Neighbourhood Policing Week.

Special constable (SC) Trevor Stamford, who joined the force in June 2020, says he feels a great deal of "satisfaction" and "pride" from carrying out his policing duties.

Trevor left school at 16, to join the army and enlisted as a junior leader at Harrogate, specialising in all aspects of secure communications.

He served in many countries in an operational capacity, and after leaving the army his interest in the police was piqued, but recruitment was on hold in his area.

Years later he said his interest was rekindled through his current role for a national coach company that works closely with partners to ensure their communities are safe.

Then in 2020, he joined as an SC, a volunteer police officer role, which allows full police powers, and duties being the same as regular officers.

He said: “You are constantly learning while on the job and no two situations are the same.

“I get a great deal of satisfaction and feel immense pride working together as a team helping to keep members of the public safe in all areas of neighbourhood policing and knowing I am contributing to Greater Manchester Police (GMP).”

SC Stamford has been involved in several different operational activities from night time patrols across Bolton to targeting shoplifters.

SC roles cover a range of tasks from investigating crimes and arresting suspects to tackling local issues, such as anti-social behaviour, harassment and road traffic offences, special constables play an incredible role as they volunteer their time to support our communities.

In December, the officers volunteered more than 4,200 hours to policing duties and assisted in the arrests of 195 suspects, carrying out 314 community engagement events, attending 518 emergency 999 calls and stopping 504 vehicles for traffic offences.

The majority of GMP’s current cohort of special constables support district activity but there are also opportunities to support during force events and operations such as Operation Custodian (night-time economy operation) and parades such as Remembrance Sunday.

Around 30 special constables also undertook training in public order public safety policing, meaning that they can also now be deployed at high-profile events including football matches.

GMP is currently recruiting for special constables and are hosting a series of events across the year.