FARMERS and landowners are being urged to join the fight against crime in Darlington’s rural areas.

Police are encouraging farmers and people living in rural areas to join their local Farmwatch scheme, which allows people to report incidents and suspicious behaviour directly to the police to tackle and reduce rural crime.

As part of the voluntary scheme, farmers could be issued with radios linking them directly to the police and other landowners, along with SmartWater kits and have the chance to attend meetings to discuss any issues.

Sergeant Dave Kirton, of Darlington police, said: “Darlington is in the middle of a lot of rural areas, which makes it hard for farmers to keep in contact with each other by themselves.

“We are urging them to get involved with their local Farmwatch scheme and look out for each other and report crime and suspicious behaviour directly to us. We are here to support them in whatever way we can.”

A Darlington Farmwatch coordinator, who did not wish to be named, said he would “without a doubt” encourage people to join up to their local Farmwatch scheme.

He said: “It is all about getting farmers to talk to each other and look out for each other. If one person has an incident on their land, they can pass that information on to other people in the area so they can look out for anything suspicious on their own land.”

For more information on how to join your local Farmwatch scheme contact rural beat officer PC Julian Brown on 101.