Rural Cop Stars

LIGHTS, camera - action! Rural policing in County Durham was in the national spotlight last month thanks to the new series of a popular BBC One daytime show.

'Countryside 999' featured the work of the emergency services and other agencies, such as mountain rescue in various parts of the UK.
Much of the filming took place in August last year and included a number of days when the camera crews followed police officers covering Teesdale, Weardale and parts of Derwentside.

The cameras followed the rural cops as they attended road accidents, followed up reports of anti-social behaviour, investigated sheep rustling and other thefts from farms, searched for missing people and planned for big local events such as the Wolsingham Show.

Insp Kevin Tuck, head of neighbourhood policing for Crook and Barnard Castle said: "I think viewers will be surprised at the broad range of incidents and issues we deal with. I hope they will be impressed with the professionalism and dedication of our officers, who come on duty each day never quite knowing what is in store for them."

The BBC approached Durham Constabulary in the early summer of 2014 to see if the force would be interested in taking part in the next series of 'Countryside 999'.

Once official approval was granted, Insp Tuck and Insp Keith Wardle, head of neighbourhood policing in Derwentside identified around eight officers who were willing to be filmed on a regular basis over a six-week period.

They were accompanied on their shift by a director who also handled the camera and sound equipment.

While the filming of some events, such as the Wolsingham Show and Farmwatch operations could be planned in advance, the majority of incidents happened in 'real time' as the officers were despatched to jobs as they came in.