A PUBLIC meeting is being held to discuss police response times to reports of anti-social behaviour after a councillor's home was targeted by vandals.

Darlington Borough Council is holding the event at the town's Dolphin Centre on Tuesday, July 20 at 6pm.

It has been called after response times were raised following incidents at the home of Councillor Kevin Nicholson.

READ MORE: Darlington councillor 'targeted' with vandalism and homophobic abuse

Representatives from Durham Police – including Chief Constable Jo Farrell, Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen and Detective Chief Inspector Adrian Green – have also been invited to join the discussion.

Council leader Heather Scott said: “No-one is questioning how hardworking our police officers are, both in Darlington and across the wider force area.

"However, we do feel there is a discussion to be had around the amount of time people – and of course this applies to everyone, not just councillors – are expected to wait for a suitable response when they use the non-emergency 101 service."

“I am looking forward to a friendly, productive discussion with colleagues from Durham Police and I hope people will come along, listen to what is being said and share their experiences and views in a constructive way.”

Chief Constable Farrell said: “I would like to thank councillors for this welcome opportunity to discuss the demands facing policing and work together to find a constructive way forward to address these challenges.”

Members of the public are welcome to attend the meeting.

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