19 extra neighbourhood officers for Durham and Darlington

The officers will be deployed in communities across County Durham and Darlington as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen frontline policing.

They will be joined by 14 new PCSOs, who began training in May.

Rachel Bacon, chief constable of Durham Constabulary, said: “Visible policing makes a real difference to whether people feel safe where they live.

“Confidence in policing is built on knowing your own local officers, knowing they are looking out for you and knowing you can feel safe in your own home.

“These extra officers are already making a difference and we’re seeing reported crime fall across the force and are doing an amazing job in places like Horden: arresting people, bringing offenders to justice and making people feel safer in their own home.

“There is more to do, but we’re going in the right direction.”

The announcement was made at the start of Neighbourhood Policing Week while Ms Bacon was on patrol with officers in Horden, an area that has seen significant reductions in crime and antisocial behaviour.

This follows the first phase of Durham Constabulary’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which saw an additional 26 officers join neighbourhood teams and every resident given a named contact officer.

Across the force area, reported crime has declined, aided by Operation Pave, which delivered an extra 14,000 hours of high-visibility patrols in town centre hotspots.

Further expansion of neighbourhood teams is now underway, with the 19 new officers and 14 PCSOs expected to be on patrol by the end of the financial year.

In Horden, Operation Pave has led to a 35 per cent reduction in reported antisocial behaviour, while broader efforts have reduced recorded crime by 10 per cent over three years.

Durham Constabulary is also investing in new digital tools to improve officer visibility and patrol management across the force area.