A new crime sticker initiative to prevent agricultural theft in rural communities has been introduced in County Durham and Darlington.
Bespoke orange stickers are designed to be stuck onto agricultural machinery and vehicles, which are often stolen by criminals. Using the stickers will encourage police to stop and check the equipment if it is seen on the road or unattended in an unusual place between the hours of 10pm and 5am.
Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen launched the new measures as part of an ongoing commitment to tackle rural crime. More than £1,500 has been invested to provide 2,000 stickers. The initiative is modelled on similar projects in other parts of the country which have successfully driven down agricultural theft.
Ms Allen said: "Crime costs our rural businesses millions of pounds every year. Every loss has a devasting psychological impact on owners and threatens livelihoods. It is vital we do what we can to protect more businesses suffering through crime.
"This scheme encourages officers to action their suspicions immediately to prevent criminals exploiting our countryside and disrupt the criminal networks that are responsible for this activity, while potentially bringing more offenders to justice. It will also reassure our rural communities that we take their safety very seriously and are working hard to protect their homes and property.”
The stickers are A5 in size and have been printed on Oralite reflective material for easy identification. They can be used on excavators, trailers, quad bikes, tractors and any other high-value equipment that could be potentially lucrative for thieves. They indicate the owner of the property does not typically have the item on the road during the night.
It is claimed a significant proportion of plant and machinery thefts are committed by criminals and organised crime groups from outside the area travelling into rural communities.
Stickers will be distributed by rural Single Point of Contact (SPOC) officers.
Labour Commissioner Ms Allen recently announced the launch of her Rurali project which has seen more than £200,000 of Safer Streets funding directed to two new Ruralwatch Coordinators and a dedicated intelligence officer to capture and develop intelligence gleaned from Ruralwatch WhatsApp groups to target offenders.
"Every crime has a ripple effect, not only leaving the victim feeling vulnerable and fearful but also the wider community too,” added PCC Allen. “This scheme sends out a strong message to the criminal fraternity that their activities are under the watchful eye of both the police and the public and we will not hesitate to act should their movements cause suspicion."
It has also been registered and shared nationally with other forces via intelligence bulletins to encourage cross-border police to undertake proactive outside of the county should any plan or machinery displaying the stickers be seen during the specified times.
"Every crime has a ripple effect, not only leaving the victim feeling vulnerable and fearful but also the wider community too,” added PCC Allen. “This scheme sends out a strong message to the criminal fraternity that their activities are under the watchful eye of both the police and the public and we will not hesitate to act should their movements cause suspicion."
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