Thames Valley Police (TVP) has launched a Rural Crime Taskforce in a bid to make the realm a hostile setting for rural criminals.
The taskforce consists of a group of devoted officers, in addition to intelligence help, who will work with companions, drone items, and the Joint Operations Unit with Hampshire to sort out severe and organised rural crime within the south-east area.
TVP rural crime taskforce inspector Stuart Hutchings mentioned: “The taskforce will make the Thames Valley a hostile place for anybody seeking to commit rural crime.
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“We now have a group of devoted officers dedicated to creating our rural communities safer, in addition to workers ready to take your name who’re educated within the complexities of rural crime and its impacts. We is not going to tolerate rural crime.”
The taskforce is working to help rural communities to sort out crime within the Thames Valley area (Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire). Greater than £400,000 price of trailers, caravans and different gear have been recovered by the group.
They’ve additionally been proactively working with the power’s forensic investigation unit to handle rises in thefts from farms of GPS items inside tractor satellite tv for pc navigation programs.
Native policing areas throughout the Thames Valley have additionally seen the advantage of the taskforce, with the group supporting investigations into rural points comparable to thefts and hare coursing.
The taskforce can also be working with TVP’s financial crime unit to research the proceeds of crime, cash laundering and hyperlinks between rural and organised crime.
NFU approval
The NFU mentioned the taskforce announcement was welcome information for farmers and growers throughout the three counties.
“For a very long time now, we have now been calling for larger sources that might allow the power to be higher positioned to sort out particular forms of rural crime, given the challenges of working over such a broad space,” mentioned Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire NFU chair Alex Nelms.
“This taskforce may even undoubtedly enhance the quantity of intelligence gathered by Thames Valley Police that it will likely be in a position to share with neighbouring forces, the place criminals are working throughout borders.”
