£100,000-worth of stolen property recovered by new police team in five months
Date of alert:
Wednesday, 14 February 2024
Crime Ref:
Force:
Cumbria Constabulary
Cumbria’s rural crime team have recovered £100,000-worth of stolen property in five months.
The team was launched in September last year to provide a dedicated group of officers to help prevent and reduce rural crime in the county and was funded by Cumbria Constabulary and the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner.
The commissioner’s office has released the team’s latest statistics, which said the county had seen a reduction in plant and machinery theft by 10% in comparison to the same time period in 2022/23.
In 2023, Cumbria saw a 15% reduction in quad bike thefts, a 10% reduction in high value machinery thefts, and over a 6% reduction in sheep theft compared to 2022.
The team has seized six vehicles for use in crime and searched 18 premises, including six warrants.
They have engaged with their local communities through dedicated WhatsApp groups hosting 978 contacts to share local information.
The team also visit those who have been victims of rural crime to offer crime prevention advice to reduce the risk of being revictimised – since September 2023, the team have carried out 90 premises visits.
