Seized criminal money used to tackle rural crime with new cameras

Cash seized from criminals is being used to fund new rural crime-fighting cameras across Essex, targeting offences such as hare coursing, fly-tipping and machinery theft.

Essex Police’s Rural Engagement Team has purchased solar-powered trail cameras using funds recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act. Officers are deploying them in rural crime hotspots to deter offenders and gather evidence.

Rural crime, including equipment theft and hare coursing, remains a major concern for farmers across the UK. Police say the new cameras are helping to protect some of the county’s most vulnerable countryside areas.

The cameras are being installed as part of Essex Police’s Operation Around initiative. Locations are chosen using crime data, recent incidents and intelligence linked to rural crime hotspots.

PC Luke Jones, from the Rural Engagement Team, said the technology provides a practical way to monitor remote locations.

“Trail cameras are relatively cheap and easy to put up and, of course, they can monitor the area day and night,” he said.

“The footage is clear, which will help us to identify suspects, vehicles and even index plates – it’s good enough to be used as evidence.”

He added that the cameras can also help officers better understand crime patterns and improve prevention work.

“They also provide us with valuable intelligence which can help us with problem solving and appropriate crime prevention advice.”

Farmers say the cameras are already making a difference on the ground.

Matt Register, who farms winter wheat, spring linseed and oilseed rape in the Uttlesford district with his father, described the initiative as “fantastic”.

“We are so grateful. For us, the cameras have been so useful for security purposes and we’ve found them to be a deterrent. They have made things better for us,” he said.

Managing large areas of farmland can make it difficult to keep track of activity, from criminal damage to walkers straying from public footpaths.

After seeing the cameras in action, Mr Register’s farm has now installed its own system following advice from the police.

“I’d never thought of this before. But Luke gave us advice about what cameras would work best, and where,” he said.

“They have made us feel so much safer because we now know that if something happens, we can get evidence without having to be there filming on a phone.”

He added that the cameras have helped improve security around field entrances.

“Mounting cameras has allowed us to block all but a few entrances to our fields. They watch over the entrances we use frequently and they have given us security.”

Before installing cameras, officers meet landowners to discuss the best locations and provide crime prevention advice.

“Having identified a problem where we think the cameras will be helpful, we speak with the landowner, provide crime prevention advice and offer to put up cameras,” PC Jones explained.

Each deployment also includes signs making it clear surveillance is taking place, which police say acts as an additional deterrent.

“Each deployment includes clear signage to meet legal requirements, making it visible that surveillance is in operation. We have found that the signs are as much of a deterrent as the cameras themselves.”

While the cameras are primarily used to deter crime and collect evidence, they have also captured footage of wildlife, helping landowners understand conservation needs on their land.

The idea for Operation Around emerged after PC Jones attended a parish council meeting where farmers raised concerns about hare coursing and the lack of surveillance in rural areas.

Recognising that installing traditional CCTV can be too expensive in remote locations, he began exploring how lower-cost technology could help bridge the gap.

“The cost of installing CCTV in many remote rural locations is prohibitive but modern trail cameras can do the job just as effectively,” he said.

Funding for the cameras came from the Essex Police POCA Fund, which uses money seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Trail cameras have now been deployed across 11 of Essex’s 14 district council areas, including Chelmsford, Colchester and Uttlesford.

Police say the scheme is helping provide farmers and landowners with an extra layer of protection in remote countryside locations.

“These cameras provide farmers, landowners and victims in isolated rural locations with another layer of protection,” PC Jones said.