SHADOW Cabinet Minister Hilary Benn spoke to Darlington residents on Thursday as part of a whistle-stop tour of the region.

Mr Benn joined Darlington MP Jenny Chapman to garner support for Ron Hogg, Labour's Durham Constabulary candidate in the Police and Crime Commissioner elections on Thursday, May 5, who is seeking another four year term.

Mr Benn said: “Policing is very important for our sense of security and place.

“Having this morning with Ron on the doorstep, it’s clear he’s having a really positive impact. I spoke with a woman who has an autistic son, worried about the way the police might deal with people who have autism. I learned that Ron is implementing a system where they now have nurses in police call centres who can help with distressed people”

Mr Hogg added: “We are deploying a telephone triage system, whereby we can actually understand the needs of people and deal with them in a sympathetic way. We are finding that the police are dealing with people in distress or with mental health issues in 25% of cases.”