POLICE are urging rural residents to 'Call it in' and help target crime in the countryside.

North Yorkshire Police's Rural Taskforce said local communities were their 'eyes and ears'– allowing officers to clamp down on crime wherever it occurs.

The force has launched a 'Call it in' campaign, asking residents to note down and report any suspicious activity, particularly in remote or isolated areas.

The campaign will feature in prominent adverts in local newspapers, on beer mats in more than 50 rural and at livestock auction marts.

Social media will be used to spread the word too, using the hashtag #callitin.

Free booklets to record suspicious activity are also being distributed at local events and via mobile library services.

The booklets contain rural crime prevention advice, information about Rural Watch schemes and the Rural Taskforce.

They include space to record anything that seems out of place or suspicious – with contact details on how to report those details to the police.

Inspector Jon Grainge, of North Yorkshire Police's Rural Taskforce, said: "North Yorkshire is the largest single county force in England, and we're proud of all the work we do to keep our area safe.

"However, we cannot be everywhere, so information and intelligence from local communities plays a key role in the fight against crime."

Local residents were the best people to recognise when something was not quite right, said inspector Grainge.

"If that's the case, we'd like to hear about it. Please report anything suspicious to the police using the 101 phone number.

Even if it doesn't need an immediate response, every piece of information helps us build up a picture and could prove vital in bringing criminals to justice."