POLICE in North Yorkshire have launched a new campaign to reveal the work that goes on behind the scenes, but may not be visible to the public.

Last month, The Press revealed the number of frontline officers had fallen by 15 per cent in ten years, and the force said more work was being done away from the public eye as crime had evolved in that time.

Temporary Chief Constable Lisa Winward said in a blog this week that “while neighbourhood policing remains the bedrock of our service to the public, policing today goes much, much further than this”.

She said the rise of the internet had led to an increase in cybercrime, “a major challenge” for the force, which had led to a change in how officers and staff work.

Ms Winward said: “Just like you doing your shopping and chatting to your friends on the internet, rather than going to a shop or meeting your friends in the street, your local police are still there for you but just in a different way, but still working to keep you safe.

“Our officers and staff are now made up of not just uniformed police officers, but we have Police Community Support Officers, Police Staff Investigators, along with people who are specially trained to investigate crimes such as online child abuse, cybercrime and fraud.”

Ms Winward said the Cybercrime Unit had uncovered 117 people suspected of viewing online images of child abuse, and “58 of those have been prosecuted, 42 have been sent to other forces to investigate and 17 remain under investigation”.

She said “jail terms totalling 28 years have been secured”, as well as “Sexual Harm Prevention Orders totalling 217 years” and 20 indefinite Sexual Harm Prevention Orders.

Ms Winward highlighted the work of non-uniformed detectives who investigate murders, rapes, child abuse and domestic abuse, financial and collision investigators, intelligence officers, crime scene investigators.

She said: “None of these officers or staff patrol the streets in a hi-vis uniform, but their role is just a vital, working behind the scenes, 24 hours a day, to prevent reoffending, to protect the vulnerable, to prevent crime and to get justice for victims.”

North Yorkshire Police has launched a public relations campaign to go “beyond the frontline” and show the public its different forms of policing.