70 vehicles stopped and four seized as Surrey Police crackdown on rural crime

It’s the second set of intensive action following a joint operation last September, during which officers joined forces with partner agencies to tackle persistent rural crime, including vehicle and plant machinery theft, poaching and fly-tipping.

Last Friday and Saturday, some 50 officers were back on the streets, this time joined by Rural Crime Team forces from neighbouring counties: Sussex Police, Hampshire Constabulary and Thames Valley Police.

For the first time, Surrey Police also directly involved some members of the rural community in the operation, enabling them to feed in suspicious activities direct to officers on the operation.

Over them two days, officers visited more than 30 farms in person and conducted widespread proactive marked and unmarked patrols, leading to:

• 70+ vehicles stopped
• 4 vehicles seized
• 1 arrest for drug driving
• 1 Tipper lorry driver stopped for carrying suspected illegal waste which we believe they intended to fly tip that night. They have been reported to the local authority to consider prosecution for waste offences.
• Local engagement with rural communities to answer questions, offer crime prevention advice and gather intelligence about criminality in their areas.

Chief Inspector Chris Tinney, rural crime lead for Surrey Police, said; “In September I reassured our rural community that our commitment to rural crime was here to stay and would become a staple part of our efforts to combat rural crime.

“Last weekend we built on the success of the previous operation through the support of our wider regional colleagues. Our focus was to engage with and protect this community especially given its critical importance for UK food security.

“I want to thank in particular the members of public who supported us during the operation as well as Hampshire Constabulary, Sussex Police and Thames Valley Police.

"Our operation will be back again soon but rest assured before then our dedicated rural crime and safer neighbourhood teams will be out every day focusing on keeping this community safe."

Fliss Winters, Regional Officer for the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, added; "Rural crime continues to be a serious issue for our countryside, with offences such as poaching, theft and fly-tipping causing significant harm to hardworking, law-abiding communities.

“We are proud to support Surrey Police in their proactive efforts to target and disrupt offenders.

“This operation highlighted the impact that a collaborative cross-border approach can have on tackling these crimes, and we look forward to seeing more initiatives like this in the future."