AS Basildon police prepare to keep people safe during one of the busiest times of the year, a team of 22 special constables are primed to assist.

From Halloween to Christmas, officers deal with a heightened number of drink-drivers, fights and antisocial behaviour as tempers flare in the run-up to the party season.

The special constables in the Basildon division, 16 of whom are linked to the emergency response team and six who help out the community policing team, have a range of measures planned in the coming months.

Kelly Korth, special inspector for the Basildon division, said her officers are not just assigned to marshal fetes and attend public functions, contrary to popular belief.

She said: “We put a lot of our specials on the local policing team, because that’s where they learn what is required.

“Everyone thinks we just do fetes and fairs but we do a lot of response stuff.

“Last week, we carried out a traffic operation in Basildon.

“We were not just looking at giving out tickets for not wearing seatbelts, but we were searching for drugs in cars.

“It’s not just the little things.”

Special constables volunteer their spare time to help out regular police officers in their job.

From October 24 to 31, the special constables have been tasked with patrolling Basildon in a car each night to tackle antisocial behaviour around Halloween.

Miss Korth, who works in the control room in the fire service, said: “We do get a lot of kids egging houses and throwing flour, generally frightening older people, so we are out trying to do something about it. We are expecting it to be busy.”

On bonfire night, the constabulary will focus on Billericay High Street due to the large fireworks display taking place in Lake Meadows. Miss Korth said: “Over the last two years, we have had groups of kids threatening to have a big fight in the High Street.

“We have a lot of families who will be attending the event and don’t want to see that. There’s always a lot of activity in the High Street in connection to that event.”

Throughout November, the constables will carry out warrants to search for offenders and attend Remembrance Day parades in Wickford and Billericay.

At the beginning of December, Essex Police launches an anti drink-drive campaign, which will also be attended by the special constables. Miss Korth said: “It’s a whole other world being a special constable. It’s opened my eyes and given me a bit more understanding of other people. Sometimes you don’t realise what is there on your doorstep.”

If you think you have what it takes to be a special, visit essex.police.uk/join-the-police/special-constabulary.