The new recruit is Lauren Stewart, from Widdrington, who has just completed a four-week training course and is now shadowing other CSOs in the Berwick area before taking on her own patch.

Lauren told the Advertiser that she will be carrying out high visibility patrols and trying to get involved in the community as much as possible.

She will be working alongside the neighbourhood beat manager for the Spittal area, PC Andy Swinburne, and working closely with Berwick High School as part of her role.

Anti-social behaviour, underage drinking, and drinking in restricted areas will be some of the main problems Lauren will be helping to tackle alongside her colleagues.

She said: "I had been working in an office since I was 17 and wanted to get into a job where it is not the same thing every day, and is a bit different."

Lauren sees her job as a way into the police force, and hopes the experience will stand her in good stead. She is looking forward to meeting local residents and building up a working relationship with people in her patch.

She said: "I'm enjoying being here and I've met a lot of people in just the last four weeks and everyone seems really nice."

The primary role of CSOs is to provide reassurance to local communities, through high visibility patrols, while complementing the work of police officers and dealing with low level crime and disorder.

CSOs have a full range of powers allowing them to deal with disorder, abusive behaviour and alcohol related incidents.

As well as being able to detain someone for up to half an hour, they also have a full range of body armour and receive self defence training and have citizens' powers of arrest.