The number of special police constables in Northamptonshire has increased to 750 - a rise of nearly 500 in just four years.
But it is 150 short of the 900 specials that Police Crime Commissioner Adam Simmonds was aiming for during his tenure with the Northamptonshire force.
The figure was revealed as part of his annual report for his final year as PCC. He will leave the post before May’s election.
Special constables are volunteers that have the same powers as regular officers. Mr Simmonds’ ambitious specials plan was part of his overall strategy to make Northamptonshire the safest place to live in the country.
At Thursday’s meeting of the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Panel - the final meeting chaired by the outgoing PCC - he said that recruitment of so many specials was a success.
He said: “Counting what’s going to happen this month, I hope to get to 800 by the end of April.
“That’s different to when I started, when we had 282.
“It’s formidable and a huge success.”
Councillor Richard Auger said: “It’s an impressive achievement, but what’s the outcome? We’re up to 800 so what’s that bringing to us?
“For me it can’t be just about numbers.”
Mr Simmonds said the greatest impact will come when the majority of the specials become fully active next year, but added that they were already making arrests and making a difference in their communities.
SPECIALS FACTFILE:
The specials contributed 138,528 hours of duty in 2015, which Mr Simmonds says in his report is equivalent to 75 full-time officers.
Northants Police now has the largest ratio of specials to regular officers anywhere in England and Wales and the fifth highest number of specials in any force.
The longest-serving officer has been with the force for 28 years and 10 months,
The oldest serving officer is 68.
Specials have a range of regular jobs which include accountancy, building, architecture, joinery, marketing and nursing.
Languages spoken include German, Polish, Spanish, Urdu, Swahili, Tagalog and British Sign Language.