CIVILIAN staff, working alongside police, have completed a pilot training course to improve their leadership and management.

Nine Durham Police support staff completed the scheme.

The staff, most of them women, work in a variety of roles for the force, including finance, personnel and crime investigations.

The programme provides wage compensation to the force for the cost of releasing staff for training, which took place at work and at New College, Durham.

Project co-ordinator Sergeant Mick Richardson said: "Our police support staff are responding very positively towards having better-trained, confident and motivated managers."