Week of action to tackle rural crime across Devon

Officers from Devon & Cornwall Police’s Rural Affairs Team were out in force across the county during a national week of action to prevent, tackle, and drive down rural crime.

The National Rural Crime Week of Action, which started on Monday, September 2023, saw officers take part in a number of targeted operations and high-visibility patrols, aimed at disrupting and preventing criminal activity and bringing offenders to justice.

The Rural Affairs Team spent the week undertaking a variety of activities including patrolling rural areas prone to anti-social behaviour, engaging with farmers and the general public to prevent livestock worrying, providing bespoke rural crime prevention advice, carrying out stop-checks on vehicles with trailers to check for stolen trailers, equipment and machinery, taking part in anti-poaching and hare coursing patrols in Bodmin and Teignbridge, and raising awareness of heritage crime at popular heritage sites.

In support of ongoing work to crack down on rural crime, the force is also supporting Op Walrus which is an operation led by the National Construction and Agriculture Theft Team within the National Rural Crime Unit and Cambridgeshire Police. The operation aims to drive down theft of agricultural GPS and Precision Agricultural Systems (PAS) devices, which is rapidly increasing across the UK and Europe.

PC Julian Fry of the Rural Affairs Team commented: “Rural crime is something we tackle consistently throughout the year and I am incredibly proud of the work the team have done and will continue to do to support our rural communities.

“We know that crimes can have a devastating impact on victims, particularly in rural areas where the thefts are often of machinery or vehicles that play a vital part in people’s livelihoods.

“The Rural Affairs Team and colleagues in the wider policing family are committed to keeping our rural communities safe and will continue to work closely with our partners to support people living in, working in and visiting rural areas of Devon and Cornwall.

“I hope this week of action is reassuring our communities that we are listening to them, and that action is being taken.

“As always, we need the support of our rural communities and encourage people living and working in rural areas to be vigilant and report any crimes or intelligence to us."