CLOSING time on a Friday night in Evesham, and the scene is familiar - one repeated in small towns across the land.

Groups of mainly young men and women are heading home after a night on the town, calling at takeaways or congregating around the taxi ranks.

Some have drank too much and tempers normally well under control snap violently over who gets the next ride home or doner kebab.

Fists fly, abuse is hurled and stumbling brawls break out and there in the middle of it all, trying to restore order, is Special Constable Rachael Tennant, a 26-year-old mother and food scientist, who by day is more at home in the laboratory.

Rachael has been a special constable with Evesham Police for 16 months and while on duty she has found herself having to get in between the flailing arms and flying feet of drunken men as they slug it out in the street.

She admits to having mastered the art of 'finger wagging' and the skill of firmly but diplomatically separating squabbling parties.

"There are times when you feel like arguing back but you have to hold your tongue," she said.

To be a good special you need common sense, the ability to be assertive and a well-developed sense of tact, she said.

On top of the late night brawls Rachael has also had to deal with outbreaks of domestic violence, High Street flashers, sudden deaths and, on one occasion, was one of the first officers at an armed robbery.

"You get to see a lot of things other people don't. You see the extremes of people's behaviour, both good and bad," said Rachael.

"The first time I went out on duty I was scared silly," she said. "But you find out a lot about yourself, your strengths and weaknesses."

The majority of work involves accompanying regular officers or other specials on foot patrol or in cars as well as helping police large events or particularly busy nights such as New Year's Eve.

She said: "We have the same powers as regular police officers, and most people can't tell the difference, they just see a police officer.

"We're trained in self-defence and how to use cuffs, CS spray and a baton as well as in the law."

It is safe to assume that none of the 500 or so specials serving with West Mercia Police go through all the training, and give up four hours of their free time each week to receive the annual boot allowance, the only payment they get for their efforts.

They do it for a variety of reasons and while there will always be one or two who like the idea of being in uniform, most join up to contribute to their community and make a difference to the towns in which they live, said Rachael.

She said with people increasingly concerned about crime and anti-social behaviour, becoming a special was a way to get out there and do something about it yourself.

Recalling her own decision to become a special, Rachael said several people dismissed her as a nosy parker or a hobby bobby, but she added: "It shows you who your friends really are."

It also provides a degree of personal challenge that many day jobs cannot, as well as an insight into police work, a world that remains a mystery to most people.

Rachael said she had always wanted to be a police officer but when she had her daughter at the age of 16, realised shift work was not compatible with motherhood and pursued a career as a scientist instead.

Ten years on and with a degree in applied chemistry under her belt she has no plans of becoming a full-time officer, but the Specials have given her the chance to see what a police career might have been like.

For further information about becoming a West Mercia Police's specials contact Sgt Paul Crumpton on 01905 723888 ext3430.