CHESHIRE Police’s special constabulary has been hailed after volunteers gave up hundreds of hours of their time during National Specials Weekend.

Special officers were involved in a number of operations between Thursday and Sunday, including the ‘arrangement, planning and execution’ of a raid at a cannabis farm on Wellfield Street in Whitecross on Saturday morning.

A total of 339 plants were seized during the execution of the search warrant, with 24-year-old Van Nguyen – of no fixed address – having since been charged with production of the class B drug in connection with the raid.

Meanwhile, special constables carried out road policing operation in the town – targeting motorists driving carelessly, speeding, not wearing seatbelts, using mobile phones and behind the wheel under the influence of drinks and drugs along the A49.

Across the county, volunteers contributed a total of 884 hours throughout the weekend while 14 new special constables were inducted to the force.

Assistant chief constable Jenny Sims said: “The commitment from the whole of the special constabulary over the weekend has been phenomenal and the community engagement is just wonderful to see.

“We have a fantastic special constabulary full of dedicated, determined and selfless individuals and I want to express a huge thank you to all of our specials who gave up their spare time to police their local communities this weekend – really working hard to highlight the value special constables give to policing in Cheshire."

Cheshire police and crime commissioner John Dwyer added: “I was absolutely delighted to get involved in this year's National Specials Weekend.

“It was fantastic to see first-hand the difference our special constables make to their communities when I took part in the session at the Lighthouse Centre in Crewe.

“The amount of hours the specials volunteered over the weekend is incredible, and I want to say a massive thank you for all the hard work and commitment that all of special officers give to the constabulary to help keep our communities safe.”