North Yorkshire police have decided to pound the TV crime beat by signing up with the Crimestoppers initiative after a break of six years.

The force had withdrawn from Crimestoppers because of the limited coverage of the county offered by Tyne Tees Television.

But a reorganisation of the broadcast area has convinced North Yorkshire's chief constable David Kenworthy that the time has come to take advantage of the crime-busting programme.

"The reason for withdrawing in 1992 has now disappeared and my experience is that there is more to gained by being in than staying out," he said.

A North Yorkshire constable will now be based full-time at the Crimestoppers Unit, in Chester-le-Street, at an estimated cost of £48,500 for the first year.

Crimestoppers has now managed to bring on board all of Britain's 55 police forces, with North Yorkshire, Thames Valley and Cheshire being the final three to take the plunge.

Brian Wareham, operations manager for the Crimestoppers Trust, said: "The last three pieces of the jigsaw are now in place, which means the service can be that much more efficient.

"Four years ago we had only 15 forces involved and so we are delighted to have been able to widen our net so effectively."

County councillor Angela Harris, who chairs North Yorkshire Police Authority, believes the force can reap benefits from being part of the scheme but said its performance will be scrutinised.

"Crimestoppers is potentially an important source of information for the police and the results will be closely monitored to ensure the initiative represents good value for money," she said.

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