Police and partners work together to tackle Northumberland's rural crime with Farmwatch funding

Partners and police have secured funding for the county’s Farmwatch scheme.

Northumbria Police, the National Farmers’ Union and insurers NFU mutual have teamed up to fund materials for Northumberland’s Farmwatch scheme, which aims to deter criminals from operating across rural communities.

The network is designed to alert families living in such areas to any criminal activity, provide crime prevention advice and spread appeals for information.

Local Neighbourhood Inspector John Swan spoke about the team’s work after the latest round of funding secured signs in support of the initiative.

Farmwatch is a network designed to alert rural and farming residents to any criminal or suspicious activity.

He said: “Rural crime is something we’re dedicated to tackling and something we police alongside local partners and volunteers to ensure a holistic and robust approach.

“These signs help deter potential criminals as well as highlighting the amazing Farmwatch initiative and all of the great partnership work behind it.”

Farmers and the public can sign up to the scheme to receive the updates, which also alerts members about anything suspicious happening in their local area.

Inspector Swan added: “We work alongside partners on a number of different rural operations to help protect residents and this work has had a fantastic response from the farming community and members of the public with a lot of support for the work being carried out.

“I want to also thank our partners and local volunteers for their sustained support and we all look forward to continuing our efforts to ensure that rural communities remain safe places to live, work and visit.”

Adam Bedford, NFU Regional Director, said he was delighted to see a collaborative approach to crime fighting in Northumberland.

It is a key priority for the company to work alongside the police, he said, and deliver the message to criminals that Northumberland “is not a soft touch”.

He said: “Farmwatch in Northumberland is going from strength to strength, so I was delighted the NFU was able to contribute to the much needed signs that help amplify the hard work of the police and their local farmer volunteers.”

To find out more about Farmwatch, email [email protected]