AN operation to protect farmland has been hailed a success.
Durham Police, along with volunteers and neighbouring forces, monitored 3,500sq miles of rural land as part of a Farm Watch operation.
As a result, more than 40 vehicles were stopped and checked.
One individual linked to rural crime was stopped and searched in the Sedgefield area. Six men were arrested in the Ferryhill area on suspicion of damaging farm property.
Sergeant Harry Marsh, from Barnard Castle police, said: “County Durham currently has the lowest crime figures since 1983.
“We will continue to work with local people and other forces to show that rural areas are not easy targets for criminals.”
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