Night time patrols to combat crime in the countryside

  • ITV News Meridian's Derek Johnson joined Hampshire Police on a night time patrol

Police in Hampshire are carrying out night time patrols in a bid to tackle a spate of night time crime in the countryside including hare coursing, burglary and theft of farm equipment.Offenders have been making use of the darker evenings throughout autumn and winter to target fields, isolated communities, and rural estates.

This has involved properties being burgled, with power tools, quad bikes and farm machinery being stolen, in addition to offences targeting the county’s wildlife including poaching and hare coursing.

Last week, a number of farms in the areas surrounding Stratfield Saye and rural Basingstoke in particular were burgled.

Vehicle tracks, suspected to have been left during a hare coursing incident Credit: Hampshire Police

On Thursday (9 January), ITV News Meridian cameras joined Hampshire Police on an operation which ran overnight into the early hours of Friday morning (10 January).

The operation was led by the force's specialist Country Watch team, with additional support from neighbourhoods policing, armed response, the Dog Unit, National Police Air Service (NPAS), and police colleagues over the border in Surrey.

Inspector Cath MacDonald said: “Catching criminals involved in this type of offending is just half the battle. Whilst no arrests were made on the night of this operation, the heightened visible police presence assisted in disrupting the activities of a suspicious vehicle in South Warnborough for example, and undoubtedly prevented further offending.

“Prevention is just as important, as we know the significant impact that rural crime is having on our communities living in these remote areas. Stopping it from happening in the first place goes some way in minimising the harm that is being caused.

A silver Honda CR-V, suspected of being involved in burglaries, was found burnt out. Credit: Hampshire Police

“We will be conducting further operations of this nature, whilst also continuing to investigate any crimes reported and develop the intelligence picture around the people and vehicles involved.

“The public are key to helping us do this, and it was fantastic to see people from rural communities such as gamekeepers and estate security managers offering their support to police on the night of this operation."

If you have information about crime or suspicious activity in your area, please report this to police on 101, or via the report tool at www.hampshire.police.uk

Dial 999 if a crime is in progress, or in the event of an emergency.

Want a quick and expert briefing on the biggest news stories? Listen to our latest podcasts to find out What You Need To Know...