North Yorkshire police in overnight 'crackdown' on rural criminals

The police visited farms and remote areas, with the aim of catching travelling criminals
The police visited farms and remote areas, with the aim of catching travelling criminals

North Yorkshire Police and local Rural Watch volunteers took part in a multi-force operation in a bid to tackle travelling criminals operating between counties in the North of England.

It comes as calls from the farming industry for the the next Government to take action on the 'blight' of rural crime hitting the UK recently.

The 14th Operation Checkpoint was led by Cleveland Police, with their officers joined by colleagues from North Yorkshire, Durham, Northumbria, Lancashire and Cumbria.

They visited farms and remote areas, with the aim of catching travelling criminals, gathering intelligence and providing reassurance to those living in rural communities.

The forces already share intelligence on people suspected of travelling from county to county committing thefts and burglaries and passing on stolen goods.

Rural wildlife offences are also an issue for a number of forces and all forces are committed to creating a hostile environment for travelling criminals who often have an extensive knowledge of the road networks and use minor roads in a bid to avoid detection.

Volunteer watch

In North Yorkshire, officers were joined by 39 Rural Watch volunteers, patrolling in 19 vehicles across the Hambleton and Richmondshire areas, including the northern border of North Yorkshire, the A1 and A19 corridors and into the Dales.

Checks were conducted on more than 80 vehicles in North Yorkshire, and although there were no arrests, a number of fixed penalty notices were issued for a variety of offences.

In particular, a suspicious vehicle was spotted in the Sutton-under-Whitestonecliffe and South Kilvington area, and seen driving through fields.

It was stopped and searched, and although no offences were identified, its occupants may have been deterred, and the vehicle left the area.

'County borders mean nothing'

Superintendent Jason Dickson, of Cleveland Police, said: "County borders mean nothing to organised criminals who are intent on targeting our more remote communities.

"Last night saw a number of vehicles which could be involved in crime being taken out of circulation."

Sergeant Stuart Grainger, of North Yorkshire Police, said: "Operation Checkpoint has once again been successful, demonstrating the value of our volunteer Watch teams in locating criminals in our area and helping to prevent crimes from occurring.

"Our Watch teams are an invaluable asset, patrolling our rural areas across Hambleton, Richmondshire, and the Dales.

"As always we are grateful to them for their support."