ISSUES surrounding forced marriages have been discussed at a regional conference.

The one-day conference, held at Northumbria Police headquarters in Ponteland, Northumberland, looked at differences between forced and arranged marriages and their cultural significance.

The force deals with about six forced marriages a year.

Chief Inspector Simon Packham, responsible for community safety, said: " It is important for everyone to understand the vast difference between forced marriages, which may be associated with a range of criminal offences, and the respected cultural and religious significance of arranged marriages, which are entirely lawful.

"Forced marriages are, fortunately, very rare. There is a sometimes an inaccurate perception that they just happen in Asian communities when, in fact, the Foreign Office records show it is an issue for many varied communities.

"Often the complaint originates from a completely different incident, like a missing person or domestic situation.

"We need to raise our awareness and recognise and deal with these situations."

The conference was attended by representatives of forces throughout the North.