FARMERS fed up with crime in their East Yorkshire community have turned to text messages to tackle it.

Almost 160 farmers and other rural workers have signed up to a new mobile phone early warning system.

Anyone spotting suspicious activity in the Pocklington area sends out a mobile text message to the 160 phones.

Everyone receiving the message knows to be on their guard and keep an eye out for suspect vehicles or people.

The system is linked to the Seaton Ross Farmwatch initiative, a neighbourhood watch system for farms.

Seaton Ross pig farmer Fred Henley, who helps to co-ordinate the system, said: "It is about tightening the area up, making it more secure.

"If someone spots something they can tell the police, or if they are out and about in a big enough vehicle they could try and block them in until the police get there.

"It is entirely up to whatever the individual feels happy with."

Mr Henley said the system was nothing to do with vigilantism.

He added: "We are not going to do anything unlawful and would not ask anyone to do anything unlawful. Pocklington Police support the idea and have already sent a couple of text messages on to the system from a mobile they have at the station."

Inspector Robert McPhun, of Pocklington Police, said community-led ideas such as the text message system were the way forward for policing.

Insp McPhun said: "It is not just for rural policing but for urban areas as well. We can't do it alone, we have a finite amount of resources that we have to spread over quite a large area.

"We never recommend vigilante action and this is far from being that, it means an extra 200 eyes and ears out there for us."

Insp McPhun said he was looking at getting mobile phones for the Pocklington force's patrol cars that could be linked in to the text warning system.

Updated: 10:53 Monday, February 16, 2004