TRAINEE police officer Katie Curtis, from Malvern, has set a new record for arrests, 46 in her first ten weeks on the beat.

PC Curtis, 24, who first went on patrol on May 8, has broken the South Worcestershire record set by an officer who nabbed 40 suspects in his first ten weeks

PC Curtis' haul came in just 40 shifts, during which she made arrests right across the division. A former Chase pupil, she joined the force after jobs in the NHS.

She said: "I just hate standing or sitting around and getting bored. I don't think that is ever going to happen when I'm on police duty because I can get out and about and deal with people in all sorts of situations. I enjoy the work in making our communities safer."

PC Curtis, who joined up in January, has been working with mentor PC Pete Myatt.

Once, they received an alert about a stolen car, which they traced and followed onto the M5 at Junction 6. With the help of a helicopter and officers on the ground, they stopped it in north Worcester-shire.

It has not been plain sailing, she had beer glasses thrown at her while making an arrest.

"That was actually more alarming than two separate incidents in which we disarmed two men, one with a bottle, who still came towards us despite CS spray being used on him a few minutes earlier, and one with a butterfly knife," she said.

PC Myatt said: "It is not just about the number of arrests she has made, which is impressive enough in its own right. It is also about overall performance and her commitment to serving our communities."