A POLICE officer from Bishop Auckland is one of three bobbies from the region nominated for the prestigious Community Police Officer of the Year Award.

They have been chosen by their own forces and are going to be judged on personal skills, initiative and working relationship with the community. PC Calvin Skinner has been nominated for the award by his colleagues in Durham for the outstanding reduction in crime on his beat. When he started in January 2000 as community beat officer for Coundon, near Bishop Auckland, there were 70 crimes reported each month, but after just 18 months this is down to below 30 a month.

The other nominees are PC Jeremy Pratt, from North Yorkshire and Michelle Reay, from the Northumbria Force