Uninsured driver's car seized after police rural crime volunteers patrol Northumberland countryside

A squad of rural volunteers have been praised by police after giving up their free time to patrol the countryside and keep its residents safe.

The Northumbria Police’s Rural Crime Volunteers were out in force on Thursday evening (August 12) working with neighbourhood officers to patrol rural Northumberland.

Operation Checkpoint, which focuses on targeting suspected criminal activity in our rural communities, saw a total of 20 vehicles being stopped across the region from Alnwick to Rochester.

Of those stopped, one driver who was diving with no insurance had their van seized, and another was caught with drugs while a third issued a HORT/1 notice.

During the operation, the rural officers also intervened in suspected poaching activity in a bid to protect the region’s wildlife.

Northumbria Police’s Inspector Garry Neill said: “This was another fantastic result and was only possible thanks to the on-going support by our Rural Crime Volunteers.

“These volunteers come from all walks of life – farmers, retired teachers, vets – but they have one key thing in common, their passion for the Northumberland countryside.”

He added: “I hope these operations reassure those living in the countryside that Northumbria Police is committed to keeping these communities safe and will continue fighting crime and preventing crime in the most rural parts of our region.”

Previous days of action for Operation Checkpoint have seen poachers arrested, stolen vehicles and goods seized and returned to owners as well as drink drivers banned from the roads.