A TEAM of community police officers is now patrolling the streets of east Durham in an attempt to reduce the fear of crime.

The eight police community support officers have just started in the Easington Colliery and Horden areas and are working closely with local beat bobbies and street wardens.

The officers, who will be under the command of Durham Constabulary, are carrying out high-visibility uniformed foot patrols between 8am and 10pm, seven days a week.

It is all part of innovative scheme which is funded by the Government-backed Neighbourhood Renewal project, known locally as The Pathfinder, which funds and co-ordinates community projects in Horden and Easington Colliery.

As well as reducing the fear of crime by providing an authority presence on the streets, the officers will give advice and support to local people, respond to incidents and attend community meetings.

Pathfinder's neighbourhood manager Russell Morgan said the new community officers were a response to on-going calls from the public for more uniformed officers on the streets.

He said: "There are 13,200 residents in the Pathfinder area, many of whom selected more officers on the beat as a top priority during an extensive public consultation exercise last summer.''

The initiative, a partnership between Pathfinder, Durham Constabulary, the District of Easington and the Neighbourhood Renewal unit, will run until next March, when Durham Constabulary will evaluate the effectiveness of the team and look into the possibility of taking over the funding.

Chief Inspector David Hogg said: "Durham has one of the best detection rates in the country and yet it also has one of the highest levels of fear of crime. This is something that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency."