FARMERS are joining forces with police officers in a new crackdown on rural crime which could help to pinpoint thieves at the push of a button.

The new Farm Watch scheme covering Derwentside - using a combination of both high-tech and traditional methods - will be launched at the Lanchester Show at the weekend.

The scheme, led by Derwentside's Community Policing Unit, will be offered to farms and rural business in the district, with mobile phone text messaging and e-mails being embraced for the first time.

Scheme members will have access to a new telephone hotline and a crime ring computer that will circulate information by telephone and e-mail.

Community beat officer PC Alan Patterson, one of the architects of the project, said: "Many farmers and their families feel isolated and a target for thieves, not least because of their location in rural areas.

"This new package of measures is a great way of circulating urgent or up-to-date crime intelligence and information that might directly affect them.

"We hope by keeping in touch with both the police and neighbouring farms they will ultimately feel reassured and less vulnerable. This scheme gives all members of the farming community the opportunity to become additional eyes and ears - passing on information about the movements of strangers and their vehicles."

In recent months quad bikes, trailers, horseboxes and other farm vehicles have been a target for opportunist thieves.

An additional feature of the scheme will be the issue of individually numbered Farm Watch gate-plates to identify each farm through a central database.

PC Patterson said: "The gate-plates will not only alert would-be thieves that farms are on their guard but, by using the database information, it will also speed up the police response when suspicious movement or a crime is reported.

"We will also be providing extra crime prevention advice to farmers and all those who work in the agricultural community.

The new Derwentside Farm Watch scheme, sponsored by Lanchester Dairies and Government Office NorthEast, supports the recent unveiling of StreetSafe - a major force-wide initiative to increase public reassurance and reduce the fear of crime.