THE reputation of police in North Yorkshire has spread far and wide - and deep into eastern Europe.

The chief of police from Mingechevir, in Azerbaijan, travelled more than 6,000 miles to discover the secrets of neighbourhood policing from the North Yorkshire force.

Alasgar Badalov visited with five senior officials from the Azerbaijan police service.

They first spent a morning meeting Assistant Chief Constable Peter Bagshaw to learn about the county's approach to neighbourhood policing.

That was followed by a trip to the neighbourhood team in Northallerton to gain a greater insight into effective community policing methods and to discover how the force developed its Safer Neighbourhood Teams across the county.

Mr Bagshaw said: "I'm delighted to be welcoming our visitors to the beautiful county of North Yorkshire. The UK has a strong reputation for its neighbourhood policing and the North Yorkshire Police service offers a particularly good example of how it can be developed effectively.

"Just how successful we have been is demonstrated by our official position as the safest county in England, according to Home Office crime statistics, which is why our colleagues have chosen to visit us.

"It's always useful to share good practice with other police services, but it's a particular pleasure when they have travelled so far to meet with us because our reputation has spread so far."

The group of officers from Azerbaijan decided to visit North Yorkshire Police because of its reputation for effective community policing, seen through its low crime rate and strong neighbourhood policing teams.

The county also fitted closely with the rural and agricultural surroundings, which are familiar to the Azerbaijan officers within their own country.

While in the UK, they will also spend time at police training centres to examine the training aspects of community policing.