First ever Crimestoppers cross-border rural crime campaign launched

We have partnered with Cumbria, Lancashire, North Yorkshire, Northumbria, Cleveland and Durham Police Forces to highlight and tackle cross border rural crime.

Criminals often travel large distances using roads such as the A66, A1 or M6 to carry out crimes causing misery and significant financial lose. 
 
The campaign seeks to prevent cross-border rural crimes by increasing community information about those who are carrying out these crimes, encouraging the public to report suspicious activity in rural areas, and to help prevent these crimes by providing information on how to prevent criminals targeting your property.
 
The six forces share intelligence and carry out joint operations which is very successful in stopping travelling criminals, but with the help of the public they can be more effective in targeting their resources and reducing crime in rural areas.
 
There are four themes for this campaign covering the theft of quad bikes and farm machinery, theft of livestock, burglary and poaching.
 
A quad bike stolen in Cumbria may be transported to the North East and then be sold on and end up in West Yorkshire, sheep can be taken from a farm in North Yorkshire and end up in Lancashire, criminals may travel across these areas to carry out burglaries or thefts from rural properties.

Rural crime impacts rural residents emotionally, and it hits their pockets too - according to NFU Mutual's 2024 Rural Crime Report, the cost of rural crime increased by 4.3% from 2022 to an estimated £52.8m. 
 
Simple steps to make your property and machinery secure:

• Fit tracking devices to vehicles and machinery
• Remove keys and keep vehicles locked away and out of sight
• Lock your home and outbuildings at all times
• Install CCTV or video doorbells
• Put up signs saying you have fitted tracking devices and video cameras on your premises
• Join a rural or farm watch scheme 
• Report suspicious vehicles or individuals – registration numbers, make/model, description of individuals, times and dates, those who are selling stolen quad bikes or machinery, animals that have been poached or stolen, or those who target rural properties.

To report rural crime 100% anonymously, fill in a secure anonymous online form or call our 24/7 UK Contact Centre on 0800 555 111, 365 days of the year. In an emergency, always call 999.
 
Please note: Computer IP addresses are never traced and no-one will ever know you contacted Crimestoppers. For telephone calls, there is no caller line display, no 1471 facility and we have never traced a call.

Find out more about rural crime.