Police team up to tackle rural crime

POLICE forces have teamed up to tackle rural crime including poaching, badger baiting and Land Rover thefts.

Cheshire Constabulary, Derbyshire Police and Staffordshire Police have spent the last year sharing information to prevent and detect rural issues in Macclesfield and the borough.

They state that working together means officers have the chance to share intelligence on criminals and piece bits of the jigsaw together to identify suspects and disrupt patterns of crime.

Crimes including poaching, theft of plants, tools and vehicles such as quad bikes and Land Rover Defenders have been discussed by the officers, as well as how to reduce badger baiting and environmental damage offences.

An issue to affect Macclesfield is sheep rustling, with 11 lambs stolen from a farm in Butley Town last week. Officers from Cheshire Constabulary ran an operation to prevent and detect the theft of lambs and plant machinery last month. Staffordshire and Derbyshire forces also ran similar operations.

Officers from all three counties are already running an operation to tackle poaching, alongside gamekeepers and representatives from Peak District National Park and ranger services.

PC Garry Charnock, a specially trained wildlife and rural crime officer with Cheshire Constabulary, said: “We understand when a crime occurs in a rural setting, say theft of farm machinery, that there is a huge impact on those affected.

How do they do their job to pay the bills?

“It’s clear that when livestock is stolen, it has not always been given the attention it deserves and we are working hard to change this.”

The teams have access to a variety of vehicles and equipment to help police the challenging environment, including specialist off road vehicles and night vision equipment.

Sergeant Rob Simpson, of Cheshire Constabulary, said: “All three counties are blessed with beautiful scenery that draws visitors from across the country but unfortunately there are some who take advantage and commit offences. As we continue to move forward, we want to reassure our rural communities that we are all committed to delivering a high standard of policing for them.”

See the work carried out by officers tackling rural crime on Twitter by following @CheshPolRural @PoliceMacc.