Rural Crime Teams delivers successful week of action

Throughout the week Shropshire’s Rural and Business Crime Officers (RABOs) and PCs visited farms and businesses across the county to give out Smartwater kits, GPS trackers and Bluetooth devices as part of an ongoing initiative to tackle rural crime.

Also on Monday 7 September, officers successfully recovered an off-road quad bike that was stolen from a farm in Ledbury. It was located just 30 minutes later in Malvern thanks to it having a tag fitted which highlights the importance of such security devices.

Officers in the south of Shropshire carried out Operation Whitebeam on Monday 7 September, which aims to disrupt organised criminal groups linked to rural crime.

On Tuesday 8 September, Worcester based RABOs assisted in the identification of a stolen caravan in the Bromyard area and are working with the national caravan Central Registration & Identification Scheme, (CRiS) to confirm ownership rights. This work and the recovery of the quad shows the continued work being undertaken to tackle rural acquisitive crime and return property to its rightful owners.

Shropshire officers also visited a new solar farm in Telford to offer crime prevention advice and signage for the site.

Also on Tuesday, RABOs visited the Clent Hills, supported by partners from the National Trust, Worcestershire Regulatory Services and National Sheep Association, where they engaged with dog walkers around livestock worrying, handed out SmartWater property marking kits to the public and were on hand for rural crime advice.

Shropshire based rural crime officer PC Phil Nock also seized a vehicle in Shifnal believed to be have been used in criminal activity linked to rural communities.

On Wednesday 9 September officers joined staff from the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust to conduct joint patrols at Dodderhill Woods, Piper's Hill Wood and Chaddesley Woods, which each contain areas of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), making them important locations for wildlife conservation. During the patrols, officers and wildlife trust staff discussed ongoing concerns relating to anti-social behaviour and wildlife crime, while providing reassurance to visitors and local communities.

On Friday 11 September, the Rural Crime Team worked alongside operatives from The Equipment Register (TER) at the Kidderminster Machinery Sale, and the Shropshire team visited the Market Drayton Auction. During each visit, officers examined vehicles, equipment and other goods being offered for sale to help ensure that stolen property was not entering the marketplace. The teams also gave the public crime prevention advice and encouraging owners to record machinery and equipment on recognised property registration systems to assist in recovery if items are stolen.

Also, on Friday 11 September, members of the team attended a bi-monthly N Worcs NFU farmers meeting, that was well-attended by local farmers. Topical issues were discussed and Policing updates provided

On Saturday 12 and Sunday 13 September Rural Crime Officers, along with Special Constables, completed focused patrols across Worcestershire as part of Operation Snare which tackles poaching and hare coursing.