AN AWARDS ceremony was held in Colwyn Bay to recognise the contribution of North Wales Police volunteers, and to welcome three new special constables.

Special constables, also referred to as volunteer police officers, have the same police powers, uniforms and equipment as regular police officers.

But they give up their free time on a voluntary basis, balancing their busy personal lives, family, day jobs and other commitments with police duties.

The new officers, having completed their initial training were sworn in and presented with their warrant cards in the presence of friends and family on April 18.

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They will now be deployed out to their stations where their development will continue to be supported by both paid and voluntary colleagues.

The occasion was also marked with the recognition of the contributions made by 33 serving volunteer police officers who had each contributed more than 200 hours during 2023.

Each officer was awarded with a certificate of recognition for the dedication shown to the role throughout the year.

The evening also involved the celebration of seven Police Support Volunteers (PSVs).

Presenting the awards and assisting throughout the evening were High Sherriff of Gwynedd, Sarah Foskett JP, and assistant chief constable, Gareth Evans.

He said: “It was an honour to attend the awards ceremony to recognise the contribution and achievements of so many of our amazing volunteers over the past year.

"I’m very aware of the amount of great work that goes on across North Wales which wouldn’t be possible without the hard work and dedication of all our volunteers, across so many different roles.

“From special constables and PSVs to police cadets, all our volunteers play a vital part of policing and are an integral part of North Wales Police.

“I’d like to offer my sincere thanks to each dedicated individual who bring a unique set of skills and life experience to volunteer their free time to serve their community, and in doing so help us achieve our vision of making North Wales the safest place to live, work and visit in the UK.”