Farmers warned as thieves target pick-ups, quads and tools

Police have stepped up rural patrols across parts of North Yorkshire after two Nissan Navara pick-ups were stolen overnight and officers reported a renewed rise in quad bike and tool thefts.

The two Navaras were taken from a village in Ryedale overnight on 21–22 September, prompting North Yorkshire Police to warn owners of similar vehicles to review their security.

Officers in the Stokesley area have separately reported an increase in thefts involving quad bikes and tools, with neighbourhood teams working alongside the force’s Rural Crime Team and Community Safety Hub.

Further west, police in Richmondshire are also targeting rural burglaries involving machinery, quads and tools through Operation Passage.

Officers believe some of those responsible for recent offences may be travelling into the area from outside the force boundary, increasing the focus on cross-border patrols and intelligence sharing.

The incidents underline the range of high-value equipment being targeted from farms and other rural properties, including working vehicles, quad bikes, machinery and portable tools.

Police are urging farmers and rural businesses to use a combination of visible and electronic security measures, including trackers, immobilisers, steering or pedal locks and CCTV.

Vehicles should be locked even when parked on private property, with keys and valuables kept securely away from doors and windows.

Officers are also asking rural residents to report suspicious vehicles or unusual activity, particularly around isolated farms, yards and outbuildings.

The warning is likely to be particularly relevant to livestock businesses, where the loss of a quad bike or pick-up can immediately disrupt stock checks, feeding, fencing and other routine work.

Farm machinery theft can also leave businesses facing delays while replacement equipment is sourced, on top of insurance excesses and the wider cost of disruption.

The latest incidents come despite a broader fall in the estimated cost of rural crime across the UK.

NFU Mutual’s 2026 Rural Crime Report estimated that rural crime cost the country £41.5 million in 2025, down around 6% on the previous year.

However, high-value agricultural vehicles and machinery remain attractive targets because they can be moved quickly, dismantled or transported across force boundaries.

North Yorkshire Police has continued to emphasise the use of trackers and physical security devices as part of its rural crime prevention work, while increased patrols are being used to deter offending and identify suspicious vehicles.

The force is also working with neighbouring police areas where offenders are suspected of travelling significant distances to target rural properties.

Operation Passage forms part of that response in Richmondshire, with patrols focused on routes used to move through the Yorkshire Dales and surrounding rural areas.

Police say theft levels in Richmondshire have fallen following the recent incidents, but rural crime prevention remains a priority.

Farmers and landowners are being encouraged to review the security of vehicles, machinery and tools before the darker autumn and winter months, when isolated yards and equipment stored away from residential properties can become more vulnerable.