MILLIONS of pounds of Government money is to be poured into policing to try to crack the problem of rural crime.

The news was today welcomed by North Yorkshire farmers' leaders - but they warned that the cash would not eliminate a problem many country dwellers believe is spiralling out of control.

It is not yet clear how much of the £15 million has been earmarked for North Yorkshire, but the cash cannot come a moment too soon for the county's hard-pressed farmers.

Although recently released figures for North Yorkshire show a fall in rural crime, incidents of theft are so frequent in some areas that farmers have formed mobile patrols to fight back against the criminals. And rural police response times are on the rise, adding to rural anxieties.

NFU president Ben Gill, who farms near Easingwold, said the extra money would be a reassurance to those living in the countryside.

"British farmers and those living in remote rural areas have felt for some time that they do not receive the security and protection from crime that they deserve," he said.

"The NFU has called for the Government's policy on rural policing to be refocused, diverting more resources, money and equipment to rural areas, so we are therefore extremely pleased that this announcement has been made.

"However, there is much work to be done improving links with police in rural areas."

Mr Gill added that the funding was only for the next six months and it was important that improvements in rural policing were sustainable for the long term.

The additional funding has been earmarked from the Police Modernisation Fund and will be linked to the introduction of a national rural police response time. North Yorkshire police spokesman Tony Lidgate today said the force had not yet been told how much it was eligible for and what conditions were attached, but said any increase in funding was welcomed.

He added: "We have some unique problems in policing North Yorkshire in that we are the largest county in the nation, covering a large rural area. Any more money has got to be good."