Northumberland rural crime probes recover £1m of stolen goods

The team recently recovered a number of stolen farm vehicles in Newcastle

Stolen farm vehicles and equipment worth more than £1m have been recovered in a crackdown on rural crime.

Northumbria Police set up a team of officers in June 2020 to tackle thefts, along with wildlife and poaching offences, in remote areas.

Working in conjunction with a network of volunteers, the project has seen a range of stolen property returned.

Sgt Calum Meikle said rural crime was a priority and he was "indebted" to those who help by giving up their free time.

"We are one of the only forces in the country to have rural crime volunteers and their contribution is invaluable," he said.

"Most of them live rurally and they are experts at spotting things that don't look right. Their selfless sacrifice helps us get to where we need to be within minutes.

"We run dedicated operations all year round to hit criminals hard and make our rural communities feel safe - and that work will continue over the coming months."

Northumbria Police says tackling rural crime is a "priority for the force"

The rural policing team recently located a number of stolen motor vehicles in Newcastle, which pushed the teams recovery of stolen rural goods to more than £1m.

In the coming weeks it will resume Operation Checkpoint tackling cross-border travelling criminals.

It will see the force link up with officers from Cleveland, Cumbria, Durham, Lancashire, North Yorkshire and Scotland to target those who commit offences across rural communities.

Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness said: "Northumbria Police is known for rolling out some of the best rural policing operations in the country, and these latest very impressive results show yet more success for the team and the volunteers.

"There's certainly a lot of effort that goes into tackling rural crime - making people feel safer and making sure those responsible are put before the courts."