Cumbria’s rural crime team have recovered £100,000-worth of stolen property in five months.
The team was launched in September last year to provide a dedicated group of officers to help prevent and reduce rural crime in the county and was funded by Cumbria Constabulary and the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
The commissioner’s office has released the team’s latest statistics, which said the county had seen a reduction in plant and machinery theft by 10% in comparison to the same time period in 2022/23.
In 2023, Cumbria saw a 15% reduction in quad bike thefts, a 10% reduction in high value machinery thefts, and over a 6% reduction in sheep theft compared to 2022.
The team has seized six vehicles for use in crime and searched 18 premises, including six warrants.
They have engaged with their local communities through dedicated WhatsApp groups hosting 978 contacts to share local information.
The team also visit those who have been victims of rural crime to offer crime prevention advice to reduce the risk of being revictimised – since September 2023, the team have carried out 90 premises visits.
Deputy Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Mike Johnson, said: “I’ve been out with the team on several operations since their launch and I am truly impressed with the team’s dedication to their roles and how they deal with crimes across such a large rural terrain.
“Part of my role is to listen to the public’s concerns and our rural communities have been requesting dedicated rural officers.
Rural crime team Sergeant Amanda McKirdy, said: “As a team we have already been proactive in targeting those who think Cumbria is a soft target for rural crime, by seizing vehicles, searching properties and conducting warrants.
“This has seen us work with partner agencies such as the RSPCA and Environment Agency as well as colleagues from surrounding forces targeting those involved in wildlife and rural crime offences.
“As a predominantly rural force, we are determined create a hostile environment for criminals and to safeguard local communities.
“A lot of our work has also been crime prevention, visiting those who have been victims before on how they can take steps to protect themselves and encourage reporting of incidents as we know rural crime is under reported and encourage our communities to be vigilant and reporting crimes and any suspicious activity.
“We have also been working hard to build relationships with our communities, with over 970 people signed up to 10 WhatsApp Groups to share information.”