A LEADING councillor is urging police to improve patrols in rural areas by using vehicles seized from criminals.

Cllr Gerald Lee believes a boost in the number of police cars would help officers maintain a strong presence in villages and rural communities around Darlington.

A ward councillor for Heighington and Coniscliffe, Cllr Lee says more vehicles would allow the police to act quickly and work as a visible deterrent in outlying villages.

He has urged Durham Constabulary to consider using cars seized under the Proceeds of Crime Act to enable their officers to easily access transport.

Cllr Lee said: “We’ve been told that police representatives dispatched to rural areas often have to go to Darlington town centre - or when the situation’s particularly bad, Bishop Auckland - to pick up a car, and sometimes none are available.

“Police need to be seen and to be a visible deterrent, especially in rural areas often targeted by criminals.

“When they take cars from criminals, it wouldn’t take much for them to be changed a bit and used as police cars free of charge.

“I’ve been told the police force has more than enough cars but it’s about making them there at the right time.

“Having more vehicles would make it faster for the police to respond and would help them be more visible in rural areas.”

A spokeswoman for Durham Constabulary said : “As well as our neighbourhood policing teams, there is also a range of schemes and partnership programmes in place which enable the police to make the service to rural areas as efficient as possible.

“With our current structure and existing resources we are meeting the demand from rural areas effectively and as such there are no plans to increase the fleet available to officers in these locations.

“There are various issues that would make it difficult to implement the suggestion of using a vehicle seized under POCA, including their suitability for rural use and ongoing maintenance costs.”