NORTH Yorkshire’s specialist countryside crime-fighters have taken part in a joint operation to clampdown on rural crime.

The force's Rural Taskforce joined forces with colleagues from Humberside Police and members of volunteer watch schemes to patrol the roads around Scarborough, Ryedale and the Humberside ‘border’.

The operation targeted people committing crime in rural areas, using automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR), proactive stop checks and information from the local community.

A number of people were caught committing offences including a man arrested for possession of drugs, a wanted man who was arrested on suspicion of assault and a suspected stolen car that was seized by police.

Sergeant Tim Wilson, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said: “It was a very successful day, and we will be joining forces again in the near future.”