Northumberland farmers and rural communities invited to take up DNA protection for their property

The Northumberland Partnership Against Rural Crime (NPARC) was launched in December 2022 and recently teamed up with both NFU Mutual and SelectaDNA.

At a launch event in Hexham in June, dozens of people had their all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), trailers and other agricultural equipment marked with an invisible DNA code.

The code helps police easily spot stolen property that thieves may be attempting to sell on and quickly identify rightful owners. So far more than £200,000 worth of rural equipment has been successfully marked with the unique, invisible code.

Officers are now urging more farmers and rural communities to come forward and attend a further tagging event later this month.

It will be held in Lucker, near Belford, on Monday, September 18 between 9.30am and 3pm.

Coinciding with the start of National Rural Crime Week, the event will see representatives from NPARC – the new multi-agency project led by the Force’s Rural Policing Team – be on hand to offer crime prevention advice and respond to any concerns about rural crime.

Sergeant Calum Meikle, of Northumbria Police, said: “We have been delighted with the early response to these events and it’s great that a large amount of rural equipment has already been forensically marked..

“This technology is a significant step in our ongoing battle against rural crime – and I’d encourage anyone from our rural communities who has yet to do so to come along.

“The free events provide a great opportunity for farmers and owners to bring ATVs, quad bikes, trailers and any other valuable equipment that could be the target of thieves.

“We can then mark their equipment with a specialist unique invisible code which will help us identify any stolen property, take robust action against thieves and return those goods to their rightful owners.

“This is just one of many ways we are proactively looking to detect, disrupt and prevent rural crime in Northumbria, and through NPARC, we are really excited about what we can do to continue this positive momentum.

“We want to make sure Northumbria stays at the forefront of tackling rural crime – and that’s exactly what we want to achieve through NPARC and the various operations that we run across Northumberland, including Operation Checkpoint.

“This work would not be possible without the invaluable contributions of our Rural Crime Volunteers and partners – who are our eyes and ears out in the community. I would like to thank them for their amazing ongoing support and dedication.”

NPARC is a partnership involving various organisations including Northumbria Police’s Rural Policing Team, the National Farmers Union, NFU Mutual, Northumberland County Council, Northumberland National Park, Mountain Rescue, Forestry England and Northumberland Fire & Rescue Service.

The joint initiative was set up after Northumbria became the first Force in the country to be awarded Safer Streets funding specifically to fight rural crime, which was secured by Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness.

To book a space at the DNA marking event in Lucker on September 18, please email [email protected].