POLICE officers who operate in rural locations are to be given a crash course in handling sheep as part of a new farm crime prevention initiative.

Cumbria Constabulary and the National Farmers’ Union have teamed up to create Country Watch West which was launched this week.

The scheme follows the hugely-successful Country Watch Eden crime prevention initiative, created back in 2015, to tackle the persistent problem of sheep theft in the Eden Valley.

Spearheaded by PC Leanne Pettit with the help of NFU Cumbria county adviser Helen Forrester, Country Watch West will begin life by sharing intelligence about rural crime with farmers on social media site Facebook - via the Country Watch West page.

Helen Forrester said: "Crime prevention information, suspicious sightings and appeals for information will all be found on the new Facebook page. We’ll then progress to organising nights of action when farmers join police officers patrolling rural west Cumbria after dark."

The new initiative is being supported by Cumbria Constabulary’s Superintendent Gary Slater who said they see this as an opportunity to engage with the public to report suspicious activity in the rural areas.

"It could be suspicious vehicles or people seen in suspicious circumstances or concerns over sheep worrying, which can be a particular issue at this time of year. Our police officers and Police Community Support Officers can access the Facebook pages on their mobile devices when they are on patrol and update members of the public immediately using this social media format," said Supt Slater.

Country Watch West will cover the Policing Areas of Allerdale Borough and Rural, alongside Copeland Borough and Rural – reaching towns and villages including Millom, Bootle, Haverigg, Silecroft and Ravenglass.

Police and crime commissioner Peter McCall said: "We need to be always trying to develop innovative ways to prevent and tackle crime, and this is a great example of how we can work together for the benefit of the community."

As part of this new alliance between the farmers and Police, some West Cumbrian police officers will also be given a crash course in handling sheep by an NFU member– "just in case they find themselves having to move sheep to a safe location without any help".