Police join forces to crack down on rural crime and poachers

Operation Hawkeye, an initiative to protect rural communities and target criminals who travel large distances to commit crime, has already begun significant work across counties to reduce rural offenders.

And that work has been boosted by the creation of a region-wide Community Protection Notice (CPN) which will see all nine Forces work as one to prosecute poachers and rural offenders.

The move will hand police and the courts significantly greater powers to combat and prosecute serial cross-border criminals who breach their CPN conditions by repeatedly targeting rural victims.

The innovative new scheme, supported by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), means offenders who commit offences across multiple counties can be prosecuted jointly by the respective Forces.

Debbie Ford, Northumbria Police deputy cheif constable and national policing lead for rural and wildlife crime, said: “This is a significant and innovative move that will help us combat rural crime not only in Northumbria but across the north of England.

“It is one of the biggest collective crackdowns of its kind in the UK and should send a clear message to those who target our most remote communities - rural crime will not be tolerated.

“The initiative will see a collaboration between Forces to share intelligence and jointly prosecute poachers and offenders who travel across borders to attempt to disguise their criminality.

“By working together, we can continue to protect our communities and bring effective justice against perpetrators.”