As he launches a new Rural Policing Statement, Ron Hogg, Police Crime and Victims Commissioner for County Durham and Darlington, sets out what Durham Constabulary are doing to make a difference in rural communities

MUCH of my time is spent talking to local people, understanding how crime affects them and what they think about the police service they receive.

I make a real effort to speak to victims of crime, to hear about how they are coping, and whether they are receiving the support they need.

It is very clear to me from these conversations that the issues facing people living in the deeply rural parts of County Durham and Darlington is different to that of people living in the more urban areas.

Why is this? A key factor is the nature of rural life. Poaching, thefts from farms or damage to protected habitats and species occur in rural communities, but are much less common in urban areas. There are also worries about speeding, unsafe driving and fly-tipping. Obviously, these occur in urban areas too, but the sparser, more spread-out nature of our rural areas means that they are different there.

Durham Constabulary has an experienced neighbourhood policing team which operates in our most rural areas, Weardale and Teesdale, under an inspector who is highly experienced in rural policing. Despite continuing pressures on the force’s budget, the number of officers based in those areas has been maintained this year, and there are also the volunteers within the special constabulary, who do a fantastic job.

This year we have invested in four-wheel drive vehicles so that our officers can get about better in all conditions. We have also enhanced our mobile tablet technology to help response officers spend as much time as possible in the community rather than having to complete paperwork in the police station. These measures are making us more efficient and more effective.

We have also invested in our staff. Over the past year the constabulary has trained all call-handling staff to deal with rural issues effectively, and to understand rural needs.

As well as in more urban areas, Community Speedwatch initiatives are also operating successfully in Teesdale and Weardale. Trained community volunteers use our equipment to check for speeding vehicles.

The volunteers and police then send a letter to the registered owner informing them of this, and asking them to abide by the speed limit in future. There is a proactive roads policing unit and we are continually looking at ways to improve their response. Residents will be kept updated with road-related activity in our rural areas.

A key way forward in rural policing is to further develop the benefits of working in partnership. Two community safety responders are already based in Stanhope, and more will come into post in rural communities shortly. These highly trained individuals work as police community support officers, retained firefighters for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service, and first responders for the North East Ambulance Service.

We are extending our partnership further by opening a new shared station at Barnard Castle later this year. It will be home to the Police, the Fire Service, the Ambulance Service and Mountain Rescue. The benefits of this shared facility will be huge: as well as reducing our operating costs, officers will be able to talk to each other, all the time. This means that they will be better placed to resolve problems together.

There is always more we can do. I am looking to extend the work of our excellent volunteer community peer mentors to rural communities over the next year. They work in pairs to support people suffering from isolation, anti-social behaviour or neighbourhood disputes, encouraging them to find ways to get the help and support they need. As well as making a real difference to people’s quality of life this work can reduce the pressure on frontline services.

Recorded incidents of anti-social behaviour have fallen across County Durham and Darlington over the past year, especially in rural areas and I will continue to monitor the trend.

I’m grateful to local people for being vigilant and taking steps to make life harder for would-be criminals. Keeping your car locked, your farm buildings secure, and installing and using lights outside your house or your outbuildings will all make a difference. And please report any issues, however trivial, to the Police on 101, and tell us or your local councillors about your concerns when you attend Area Action Partnership meetings or PACT meetings. Or when you see a police officer in the street, stop and say hello!

I will also be back to Teesdale and Weardale in the coming months.