Neighbourhood Policing Team
I am the Neighbourhood Policing Team Inspector for Newton Acyliffe, Sedgefield, Shildon and surrounding areas. I have worked for Durham Constabulary for 17 years in various roles within the organisation including; Response, Crime Team, Executive Office, and MOSOVO. These previous roles have helped me understand a broad perspective of our communities and how best to serve them.
My aim is to build community relationships, robustly tackle ASB and Crime, protect vulnerable people and ensure my team are visible within the community. I am fully committed to ensuring the safety of the communities and welcome working alongside our partners and residents to achieve this.
Mike is the Sergeant for Shildon, Sedgefield, Fishburn and the surrounding villages.
Mike previously worked as a Police Community Support Officer in North Yorkshire Police before joining Durham Constabulary as a Police Constable in 2017. During this time he worked predominantly in Response Policing before later transferring into Neighbourhood Policing.
Mike is committed to the areas he works and in supporting his team to do the best they can for the community, keeping people safe and relentlessly pursuing the people who commit crime and anti-social behaviour.
Stephen Ward has been a PC with Durham Constabulary for 21 years, and is the recipient of a long service medal for his dedication to the role.
Throughout the years, he has trained in various skillsets, including MOE, pursuits, PSU , evidence gathering during public order incidents, and much more.
In 2023, Stephen, known by the team as "Wardy" made the switch to Sedgefield NPT after spending his career in different areas of the county to apply his experience in a new way.
fun fact: Wardy loves football and is a massive Sunderland FC fan!
Sophie joined Durham Police at the end of 2023 as a PCSO on the Sedgefield Beat team. Her reason for joining the NPT was to be the familiar face that the people of Sedgefield know, and to take responsibility for the area.
"Being a PCSO is all about community engagement, and breaking barriers between the police and the community. When I walk through the village and can hear people shouting my name, or when local kids come up to speak to me, I know that I am fulfilling that part of my role"
Crimes and priorities
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Priority:
Action taken:
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Priority:
Rurali is Durham's response to rural crime. PCSO Sophie is your rural SPOC, responsible for sharing intelligence with other police forces to tackle cross-boarder criminals , keeping our farmers connected and preventing rural crime.
Action taken:
The team conduct regular rural focused patrols based on community intelligence. During peak rural crime periods, local beat teams join forces to conduct OP Checkpoint. Most recently this was done in December, where we aim to flood our back roads with Police vehicles and make it clear that Trimdon is no place for rural crime!
If you are a local farmer, wanting to get involved with our farmwatch , please contact Sophie to find out more. -
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Trimdon Village Hall plays a big part in serving our community in a variety of ways. Volunteers work tirelessly to make sure young people have something to do such as youth club. Unfortunately, it is one of our hotspots for youth related ASB, and has been a target of criminal damage on several occasions.
Action taken:
On Sunday 4th January, we received numerous reports of a silver Vauxhall Corsa driving anti-socially around the village green, posing a risk to residents. Within a couple hours of these reports, the vehicle was located and seized by officers in a nearby village.
On the 15th of February, we received a report of a stolen motorbike. Thanks to help from community, this vehicle was identified as driving antisocially around Trimdon village the following day. Following 1 abandoned pursuit and some thorough patrols , the bike was located by officers and recovered, to be returned to its rightful owner.
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Priority:
During the darker nights, there has been an increase in vehicle thefts. The Sedgefield NPT are committed to investigating these crimes effectively and prevent further offences.
Action taken:
An extensive investigation is carried out for each theft, following any lines of enquiry; including CCTV and witness enquires, ANPR checks both locally and regionally and in cases where stolen vehicles are located, forensic recovery to be examined by CSIs.
All thefts of motor vehicle were analyzed to identify any patterns, allowing us to conduct targeted patrols at the right place and the right time, and give appropriate advice to drivers. We are happy to report that this work has clearly paid off, and so far in 2026, not a single vehicle has been reported stolen from Trimdon Village or Trimdon Grange.Faraday bags/boxes are an effective way from preventing "relay thefts" - a technique of mirroring the signal emitted from car keys in order to gain access to the vehicle. If you have a car with keyless entry, pop into our office and we will be happy to provide you with a faraday bag, while stocks last!