The number of special constables working alongside police officers in Essex has fallen over the past decade, figures reveal.

Home Office data shows Essex Police had 527 special constables in March this year – up from 521 the year before.

However, it represents a (15 per cent) drop compared to 2011, when there were 617.

Numbers have been steadily growing since 2016, when there were just 357 specials and Essex Police currently boasts the second largest cohort of special constables in England and Wales, eclipsed only by the Metropolitan Police.

The officers, also known as "specials", hold the same powers as police constables and work a minimum of 16 hours a month as volunteers.

A fall in the number of specials within Essex Police over the decade came alongside a 5 per cent decrease in full-time police officers, despite a Government-backed recruitment campaign for 20,000 more officers nationally by 2023.

Across England and Wales, the number of special officers has reduced by more than half over the past decade, from 18,421 in 2011 to 9,174 this year.

During the period the number peaked at 20,343 in 2012 but has since fallen year-on-year.

The Police Federation for England and Wales said a recent focus on recruiting more paid police officers, including some former specials, and an increase in workload for the volunteer officers were behind the demise in numbers.

Chairman John Apter said: “More and more has been expected of special constables.

“These extra pressures have caused some to leave the service, as they cannot juggle their day jobs with what is expected of them.

“We need their support, and we need more of them.”

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: "We are robust in what we expect from our award-winning Special Constabulary and, as a result, our Specials flourish and many officers move from the constabulary into Essex Police.

"For example, one-quarter of the officers who left the constabulary within the last six months moved into Essex Police as regular officers, with others joining other forces as regulars.

"Our Special Constabulary volunteers were recognised in the 2021 Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service for the support they provided to our communities by volunteering more than 54,000 hours of their time during the lockdown between March and June 2020.

"We continue to recruit to the Special Constabulary and anyone interested in joining should submit an application at https://www.essex.police.uk/police-forces/essex-police/areas/essex-police/ca/careers/special-constabulary/."