Almost 300 farms in Derwentside have now signed up to the Farmwatch scheme, which started in July 2004 and looks at ways to prevent and detect crime.

It encourages vigilance and communication between farmers and local police officers.

Organisers said total theft had fallen by 11%, vehicle crime by 12.5% and robbery by 17.5%.

Intelligence gathering

In addition to the Farmwatch scheme, an inter-force initiative involving Durham, Cumbria and North Yorkshire Police has been running.

Information and intelligence gathered as a result of that led to the recovery of a digger and agricultural machinery, with a total value of �50,000.

Farmwatch Derwentside co-ordinator for Durham Police, Brian Donkin, said: "Rural crime has been a problem in the past in Derwentside with incidents such as theft of horse boxes and quad bikes.

"Now our intelligence gathering through Farmwatch has meant we are working smarter to prevent thefts and catch offenders.

"This includes using SmartWater to mark property and vehicles which leaves a unique DNA signature making items easier to recover."