Northumbria Police's specialist rural taskforce celebrates its successes

Since its establishment in 2020, Northumbria Police’s rural crime team has achieved a 20 per cent reduction in the number of All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) reported as stolen this year, compared to the same period last year.

This activity takes place under the banner of Operation Hawkeye and officers work tirelessly alongside partners and volunteers to combat poaching offences which have plummeted 31 per cent since the start of the year compared to the same period in 2022.

Volunteers, are ever-expanding in numbers, up by 11 since the start of this year.

Inspector Garry Neill, of Northumbria Police’s Rural Crime Team, said: “I am immensely proud of everything the team, volunteers, and partners dedicated to fighting rural crime have achieved in such a short space of time since the Rural Crime Team was created.

“We all share one common goal, to protect our rural communities, and I hope those communities can see the hard work and dedication which has already gone into achieving these extremely promising results.

“However, our work is far from over, and we’ve got many more plans in place to ensure those successes continue and grow over the coming years and months.”

The Northumberland Partnership Against Rural Crime (NPARC), make the Rural Crime Team’s achievements possible by bringing expertise from across the region.

The partnership meets regularly and have formed action plans for issues including wildlife and fish poaching, agricultural theft, fly-tipping, vehicle anti-social behaviour, and vulnerability in the countryside.

Insp Neill added: “We’ll continue to run dedicated operations and initiatives, seek funding and work with our partners to catch and disrupt any criminals looking to prey on our rural communities.

“Our message to criminals thinking of targeting those who live in the most remote areas of the region is clear – you will be seen, you will be caught and you will be brought to justice.

“As ever, we’re reliant on the public to be our eyes and ears across rural Northumberland and implore anyone who sees something that doesn’t look or feel right, to get in touch with us. You never know what you could be preventing.”