Week of action in Bassetlaw highlights Nottinghamshire Police's year-round efforts to drive down rural crime

Neighbourhood officers visited and contacted hundreds of farms in rural areas including in Bassetlaw, providing farmers and landowners with crime prevention packs, and engaging with them to find out more about issues affecting them and how police can help tackle them.

In support of the force’s ongoing work to crack down on rural crime, targeted operations and high-visibility patrols also took place aimed at disrupting and preventing criminal activity and bringing offenders to justice.

These included a proactive tri-force operation in the Bassetlaw area on Saturday, September 23, which saw Nottinghamshire Police join forces with officers from Derbyshire and South Yorkshire to tackle cross-border rural issues such as plant machinery and agricultural equipment theft, vehicle theft, fuel theft, illegal poaching and hare coursing, and serious acquisitive crimes such as burglary and theft.

Nottinghamshire Police's road crime team, roads policing team, and local neighbourhood policing teams, were among the resources involved in the operation.

Results included a car being stopped in Blyth and a 51-year-old man arrested on suspicion of possession of a class A drug, taking a vehicle without the owner's consent, and driving offences.

A 40-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of taking a vehicle without the owner's consent.

Two more suspects were arrested on suspicion of drink driving, including a 38-year-old man detained in Harworth.

Officers also responded to reports the occupants of a car were suspected to be poaching in the Retford area.

Searches were carried out and a car was followed and stopped in the Manton area, although, following enquiries, no offences were identified.

Neighbourhood officers, Nottinghamshire Police’s dedicated off-road motorbike team and Operation Reacher teams also carried out proactive patrols in hotspot areas in support of the force’s engagement with rural communities and ongoing efforts to crack down on issues including theft, speeding, antisocial off-road biking, and fly-tipping.

Members of the Sherwood neighbourhood policing team conducted rural patrols focussed on local farming estates, on Wednesday and Thursday, following previous reports of machinery and farm vehicle theft.

These high-visibility patrols were also part of the force’s ongoing operational work to target issues including diesel theft on the A1 corridor, between Newark and Blyth, and deer poaching in rural areas.

Busy days of activity for the off-road bike team, on Monday and Tuesday, saw them visit several areas including Misson, Everton, Scrooby, Retford, Caythorpe, Ranby, and Carburton.

Team members engaged with farmers to see if they had any issues and provided security and crime prevention advice.

Chief Inspector Clive Collings, the force’s lead for rural and wildlife crime, said: “Rural crime is something we tackle throughout the year.

"We are determined to disrupt and prosecute those criminals that target rural communities and work closely with our partners to support those potentially vulnerable to rural offending.

“It is great to hear our officers received really positive feedback over the course of the week.

"Our challenge is to build on the existing links between our local beat managers and the communities they serve to ensure the essential flow of public information.

"Through this invaluable resource we will continue to focus our efforts in the right places and drive down rural crime.”