MORE than 100 officers and volunteers from North Yorkshire Police and six other forces from across the North of England have worked together in a bid to tackle rural crime.

The multi-force Operation Checkpoint ran from the afternoon of Thursday until the early hours of Friday to try to combat criminals who operate across force boundaries.

In North Yorkshire, more than 30 officers from Neighbourhood Policing Teams, the Rural Taskforce and Proactive Policing units worked in the border areas in the north and west of the county, specifically targeting cross-border offenders.

Forty vehicles were stopped and checked, and a number of traffic offence reports and court summons were issued.

In addition, two men from outside North Yorkshire were arrested in the Craven area on suspicion of possession with intent to supply drugs.

Inspector Jon Grainge, from North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said: "We're working closely with other forces to keep our communities safe. As well as our high-visibility patrols, we took the opportunity to speak to people about the importance of crime prevention measures, which are so important in the fight against rural crime.

"My thanks go to everyone involved, particularly members of our Mobile Rural Watch schemes, who gave up their own time to support Operation Checkpoint in North Yorkshire. As always, their support was invaluable, and they demonstrated their enthusiasm and continued commitment to tackling rural crime and the problems associated with it.

"Operations like this are really important in bringing communities together and keeping them safe. By working closely in, and with, our rural communities, we can prevent crime before it happens, and bring criminals to justice."