NEARLY 200 officers, volunteers and individuals teamed up in a joint operation to tackle rural crime.

Operation Checkpoint, which ran from 5pm on Wednesday to the early hours of yesterday, is the largest rural policing operation of its kind in the country.

Cleveland, Cumbria, Durham, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and Northumbria forces were involved.

There were a total of 11 arrests and more than 100 vehicles were stopped for checks.

Cleveland’s Police and Crime Commissioner Barry Coppinger said: “We are trying hard to tackle this serious issue.”