A Minster man has been honoured for his work as a police special sergeant.

Ashley Collick was named best adult volunteer at this month’s Swale Volunteer Awards.

The 22-year-old, of Blatcher Close, has been giving his unpaid service for the past two years.

A student at Canterbury Christ Church University, his long-term aim is to join the RAF.

But for now he is happy sparing up to 16 hours a week to help tackle crime in Swale.

He said: “Friends and parents think I spend too much time doing it, but it’s for the greater good and everyone’s benefit.”

“Friends and parents think I spend too much time doing it, but it’s for the greater good and everyone’s benefit.” - Ashley Collick

The former Sheppey Academy pupil said the BSE Honours degree he is studying in policing will count towards an RAF qualification.

Based at Faversham police station, he is one of 12 special officers in Swale, but his “beat” stretches from Newington to Boughton-under-Blean, near Canterbury.

He said work involved “quite a lot of proactive stuff” such as “pulling cars” for mobile phone or seatbelt offences.

Visiting residents of recently-burgled houses to take details also filled his time. An incident last summer in which a man was hit by a car at Cowstead Corner roundabout is among his challenges.

“We were on our way to an assault in progress when we saw him get run over,” Ashley said.

He said a colleague went to speak to the victim, but he had already driven off.

Ashley recalled with pride how he and his fellow specials remained professional when dealing with the potentially serious episode.

“When I started I thought there would be a lot more problems, but people are very compliant and respectable when we’re talking to them,” he said.

Ashley said there was only one main difference between specials and regular police officers: “We don’t get paid for it.”

He said volunteers were also excluded from taking part in criminal investigations.

Away from police work and studying, Ashley is a training officer at Sheppey Air Cadets.