CIVILIAN crime fighters are backing a police campaign against burglaries and drug offences.
Operation Darc is being run in east Durham with the aim of catching burglars, reducing crime levels, and encouraging residents to take crime prevention measures.
The campaign, which runs until early next month, has been promoted by the fact that many break-ins are carried out to feed drug users' habits.
Neighbourhood Watch, which has 225 local schemes, covering 20,282 homes in the area, has distributed crime prevention advice leaflets to residents.
It has won grants from the Easington District Community Partnership and the Coalfields Regeneration Trust to buy identification mirrors, property marking kits and door stickers designed to deter bogus callers.
Neighbourhood Watch coordinator Anne Ward said: "We run schemes all year round, implementing ways to reduce opportunities for crime and the fear of crime, and we are fully supporting Operation Darc.
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