OFFICERS in north Durham are taking their crime-fighting to the community with a mobile police station.

Police in the Stanley area will be spending hours in the town centre and surrounding villages to create more direct contact with residents.

The StreetPACT scheme is the brainchild of the Catchgate beat team and may be rolled out across the county.

Acting Inspecting Michael McGowan said: “We are slap bang in the middle of the community and officers will be going and knocking on doors, going into shops and handing out leaflets. We are not just expecting people to come to us.

“In some areas we are not getting people coming to our police and communities together (PACT) meetings and we are not getting a good understanding of the problems they are facing.

“But by positioning ourselves outside we are getting a far better understanding of what we can do to help than if we were sat in an office in a police station, or at a meeting on a cold night.

“The location is important and when we are where people are anyway they can look in as they are passing and it is a draw to them.”

The mobile unit will be at the car park of Dipton Surgery from 2pm to 4pm on May 15, on Good Street in Tanfield from 1.30pm to 3.30pm on May 17 and at Oakwood Court in Catchgate from 2pm to 4pm on May 20.

The force non emergency number to report crime is 101.