Drive to catch criminals who motor in fields, hare course, dump rubbish
CRIMINALS are taking advantage of harvested fields and open farmland in rural parts of Leicestershire to dump waste and cause damage to property.
Offenders are trespassing on recently cleared fields which they see as “huge playgrounds” where they dump rubbish, with field boundaries and gates damaged by intruders.
Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Policing Team said in a post on Facebook: “Please be aware of the issue.
“Often occurring late at night and only discovered in the early hours.
“If you see headlights in stubble fields or smashed gates - let us know.
“If a crime is happening NOW it’s 999. If it’s a report of damage or the like after the event - you can call 101 or report the crime online.
“If we don’t know there’s a problem then we can’t help and our resources get pulled elsewhere.
“We need to accurately map the demand for any rural crime.”
Market Bosworth Police shared the post on their page.
The beat team said:
“We would urge all farmers and landowners to report issues and damage and ask that anyone who sees vehicles driving around fields that seem out of place to report it immediately on 999.
“We are working hard to combat the issue but we need people to be vigilant as we are small team covering a huge area.”
Anti-social driving and hare coursing has also been reported in harvested fields across the county in recent weeks.
Police also reported that intruders have damaged gates and hedges and farm equipment, with reports of arson.
The issue particularly affected recently combined fields, in Market Bosworth and in the north west and the Charnwood areas of the county.
Land owners were urged to position large objects to prevent field access.
If you see headlights in stubble fields or smashed gates - let us know. If a crime is happening NOW it’s 999
Police