A MAN who helped start a campaign to fight crime in rural communities is retiring on Friday.
Brian Donkin, 64, has been working as a police community liaison officer with Durham Constabulary for over 13 years.
He, along with PC Alan Patterson, started in Farmwatch in 2004 to give people in remote locations a direct link to the police.
Mr Donkin, from Gosforth Newcastle, said: "I have made a lot of friends through Farmwatch and people would ring me on the mobile rather than phoning 999 if something happened."
Mr Donkin followed in his father William’s footsteps by joining Lancashire Constabulary in 1962.
He broke his police service to become a transport manager for a hazardous chemicals company for 20 years but returned to policing in the mid 90s.
Mr Donkin, who plans to spend his retirement visiting family in Canada said: "I have enjoyed all of the jobs I have done but this has been the most fun."
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