Thames Valley Police is considering paying volunteers who give thousands of hours free of charge for the benefit of the force.

During the year 2000/2001, 177 civilian volunteers worked an estimated 17,680 hours. Thames Valley want to increase the number of volunteers to 300 by the end of March 2002.

To help with these plans, the force has appointed a civilian co-ordinator to oversee development of the programme and is looking into the possibility of paying volunteers expenses.

This would see volunteers on a par with special constables, who perform a wide range of operational duties with full police powers. They receive out-of-pocket expenses.

A report by Chief Constable Sir Charles Pollard said: "Volunteers are involved in a wide range of activities that support the work of the police.

"These include assisting on the front desk of police stations, dealing face-to-face with the public, increasing opening hours and providing a valuable service to the community.

"They also help with ID parades, and assist with lost and found property, internal communications, general administrative tasks and customer services.

"We have recently addressed the issue of payment of volunteer expenses. To date, volunteers have not received any reimbursement for their out-of-pocket expenses and this has resulted in some individuals questioning their ability to continue devoting their time.

"There is a need to resolve this issue to ensure that volunteering with the police is inclusive and open to all sectors of the community, not just those who can afford it."