Northumbria Police hit £1m milestone in rural crime crackdown

The rural policing team was set up in June 2020, with dedicated officers tasked with preventing and tackling rural acquisitive crime, wildlife and poaching offences.

Working under the banner of Operation Hawkeye, the team has had an immediate impact – working alongside partners and volunteers to help protect those living in the most remote areas of the region.

The officers have successfully tracked down a range of stolen items, including farming vehicles and machinery, and reunited them with the rightful owners.

One of the team’s most recent seizures included a number of stolen motor vehicles that were located in Newcastle. The items took the teams tally to over £1 million of stolen goods recovered.

Sergeant Calum Meikle, of Northumbria Police, said: “Tackling rural crime is a priority for the force and the whole team deserve a huge amount of credit.

“We run dedicated operations all year round to hit criminals hard and make our rural communities feel safe – and that work will continue over the coming months.

“Tackling this type of crime is a real team effort and we are indebted to the fantastic work of our partners and volunteers who support us at every opportunity.

“We are one of the only forces in the country to have rural crime volunteers and their contribution is invaluable. Most of them live rurally, they are experts at spotting things that don’t look right – and their selfless sacrifice helps us get to where we need to be within minutes.”

Over the coming weeks, the police will be continuing to tackle cross-border criminals who prey on rural communities as part of Operation Checkpoint.

The biggest rural policing operation of its kind in the UK, Operation Checkpoint sees police, partners and volunteers join forces to target travelling criminals who commit offences across the north of England and Scotland.

Kim McGuinness, Northumbria’s police and crime commissioner, said: "Northumbria Police is known for rolling out some of the best rural policing operations in the country, and these latest very impressive results show yet more success for the team and the volunteers who help.”