Staffordshire Police seek 'car maintenance' volunteers

Staffordshire Police have started recruiting volunteers to help the force with jobs including washing cars, giving out leaflets and translating.

Sgt Jason Nadin from the force said a car maintenance volunteer would save them 5,500 man hours a year.

He said: "It's also an opportunity for the police to help people increase their CVs."

The force wants to save £22m by 2013. Last May it announced that more than 250 officers would lose their jobs.

Sgt Nadin the scheme was not designed to save money.

He said: "It's an opportunity for us to be more transparent and give people a chance to see where their money goes."

The force is looking for people who can help with three different roles: washing and maintaining the fleet's cars, leaflet distribution and translation.

A spokesman from the force said free help was being sought for translations involving community work but not for criminal investigations.

The force hopes to process the first round of applications by the end of the month.