PEOPLE are to be given the chance to contact their local police officer directly, under a new scheme being pioneered in the town.

The Dial-A-Bobby scheme will allow Bishop Auckland residents to contact their beat officer through a personalised messaging service.

The pilot project is one of a series of measures senior officers are examining as they build on initiatives designed to improve community policing across the force.

Farmwatch members in Weardale and Darlington have been provided with direct telephone numbers for urgently contacting police and the pilot scheme in Bishop Auckland is an extension of that.

The Dial-A-Bobby scheme involves one inspector, 13 beat police officers and three police community support officers, and is part of Durham Constabulary's StreetSafe Campaign.

It came about as police searched for ways to improve neighbourhood policing, particularly in areas such as Weardale and Teesdale.

Superintendent Jane Spraggon, the force's business manager, said: "Much good work is already going on within our communities but we are constantly looking for ways to improve.

The main points that came out of the consultation were that people wanted to see more police on the streets and to have the opportunity to speak with their local bobby, she said.