THE biggest Farmwatch operation staged to date will help drive criminals out of the countryside, according to organisers.

Operation Swanton was co-ordinated from Barnard Castle and involved six police forces – Durham, Northumbria, North Yorkshire, Cumbria, Lancashire and Cleveland.

Some 110 officers were supported by a further 225 volunteers during the five-hour operation, which covered 4,000 sq miles of countryside across the north of England.

Inspector Kevin Tuck, of Barnard Castle Police, hailed the event a success and added: “It is about finding criminals, deterring criminals and improving cross-border working between forces.

“Nine out of every ten thefts and burglaries in rural areas are carried out by people travelling into the countryside and those criminals don't respect county borders, so we have got to make sure separate police forces work in the same way.”

As reported in today's (Wednesday, May 29) Northern Echo, two men and two women were arrested in Barnard Castle on suspicion of discharging a weapon from the back of a car near Barningham, on the border between County Durham and North Yorkshire.

The two men, aged 20 and 24, from Darlington, received a caution for possession of a loaded air weapon in a public place.

The women arrested with them were released without further action.

Elsewhere, a Bishop Auckland man was arrested in Wolsingham on suspicion of possessing cannabis and a knife in a public place.

He has subsequently been charged with being in possession of a bladed article and bailed to appear at Newton Aycliffe Magistrates Court on June 14.

In North Yorkshire, police and volunteers focused on Richmondshire, Bedale, the Dales, the Northern National Park, Hambleton and Girsby.

Police and volunteers in Cleveland were joined by RSPCA officers and covered areas of Redcar, Stockton, Hartlepool and Middlesbrough.

Insp Tuck said he was pleased with the large number of volunteers who had turned out to take part.

“They are the eyes and ears across the area and ensure the countryside is not a soft option for criminals.”

Superintendent Kerrin Smith, of Durham neighbourhood and partnership command, taking part in her first Farmwatch operation, said: “Sometimes, rural communities feel neglected because it is such a wide area to cover and they don't see police every day, so we have to make sure we give as much emphasis to crime in rural areas as we do to that in towns and cities.”

Smallholder Peter Stubbs, 71, from Kinninvie, near Barnard Castle, helped launch Teesdale and Weardale Farmwatch 24 years ago and was among the volunteers taking part in the latest operation.

“We now have 850 members and that is fantastic. Having so many good members is what makes Farmwatch so successful.”