Police have smashed into a suspected rural crime hub in Hampshire, seizing stolen machinery, trailers and tools in a dawn raid targeting an organised vehicle theft ring.
Hampshire Police led the operation on 5 August, supported by specialist teams including drone operators, search officers, firearms officers and the dog unit.
Officers carried out searches at a site off Farnham Road, Odiham, believed to be linked to the theft of vehicles across the county.
The warrant follows reports in June of a Land Rover and trailer being stolen in Hayling Island. Police believe a group has been stealing vehicles and returning them to the Odiham site.
During the search, officers seized a suspected stolen digger, three trailers, a quad bike and a number of tools.
The same location was subject to a warrant in 2021, when police recovered 29 stolen vehicles, including caravans, vans, cars and quad bikes.
Four men were arrested on suspicion of theft — two of them detained across the border by the Thames Valley Rural Crime Task Force.
All four have been released on bail with conditions while enquiries continue.
Sergeant Michael Cork, from the Country Watch Rural Crime Task Force, said: “The proceeds from this type of offending will feed back into organised crime.
“We want to make this a hostile place for rural criminals, and we will continue to carry out proactive warrants and operations to target the people, vehicles and locations we suspect are linked to the offending, and seize stolen property.
“If you have any information, no matter how small, about crime or suspicious activity in your area, please report it to us.”
According to figures by NFU Mutual, released last month, the financial toll of UK rural crime dropped by over 16% last year.
Agricultural vehicle thefts, long a costly and disruptive issue, fell by 35% to £7m, and while quad bikes and ATVs remained popular targets for criminals, their total theft cost dropped 16% to £2.7m.
