High visibility police patrols have led to more than 60 arrests in the last month

High visibility police patrols have led to more than 60 arrests in the last month as officers go back to the beat across County Durham and Darlington.

Extra officers are being deployed to help deliver the £1m Operation Pave, peak time patrols in town centre hotspots to tackle serious violence, knife crime and anti-social behaviour.

Operation Pave patrols made 63 arrests, seized 11 vehicles and issued 26 fixed penalty notices during June, as officers target those issues which our communities say matter most to them.

Those results included officers in Chester-le-Street seized an undocumented quad and arrested the driver after patrols found a large group of motorcyclists gathered in Lambton Lane; two men arrested in Darlington and a significant quantity of drugs were seized; a prolific criminal given a criminal behaviour order and banned from Durham City centre for two years and a woman arrested for drug possession after a stop and search operation in Stanley.

The visible deterrent of extra patrols is just one part of a drive to further improve neighbourhood policing across County Durham and Darlington. Six new inspectors have been appointed to cover Spennymoor, Seaham, Barnard Castle and Crook, Consett and Stanley, Darlington and Newton Aycliffe to spearhead improvements to community policing across the force area.

The new inspectors will be joined by 26 extra beat officers and PCSOs over the next few months, recruited to bolster the frontline fight against crime and antisocial behaviour.

Durham Constabulary is making good progress towards delivering the first stage of the National Policing Guarantee, announced by the Home Office in April.

Every resident of County Durham and Darlington now has a named officer – with their details on the Your Area section of our website Home | Durham Constabulary.

Although immediate calls for help should still go through 999 or 101, it means members of the public can directly contact the police officer or PCSO dedicated to tackling antisocial behaviour, dealing with community concerns and preventing crime where you live.

Those neighbourhood officers will respond to local concerns within a maximum of 72 hours, keeping individual residents up to date with progress to solve problems and keeping communities fully informed about priorities for their area.

Durham Constabulary has also appointed a dedicated antisocial behaviour lead, who will co-ordinate attempts to tackle the issue across the force area.

Chief Constable Rachel Bacon said: “People have a right to feel safe in their own communities and to be able to live a life free from crime and antisocial behaviour.

“Neighbourhood policing is at the heart of everything the public consistently tell us they want to see us deliver: our communities want us to tackle crime and prevent antisocial behaviour; protect the vulnerable and reduce the number of victims.

“That is why we are putting more officers back on the beat, making a real difference where you live.”

Over the last 12 months, recorded crime has been reduced by 3% across County Durham and Darlington, including significant reductions in residential burglary, down by 33% with 200 fewer burglaries, and a 13% reduction in shoplifting.

Chief Constable Bacon added: “We have delivered on our promise that every resident of County Durham and Darlington will have a named, accessible officer who they can raise concerns with, highlight priorities for action in their area and view progress to solve those problems.

“We still have more to do, not least recruiting and deploying those extra officers we want to see on the ground, but we are already seeing results and as we move forward, I am confident that we will make a real difference in all our communities.”