Police crack down on trailer theft

Rural Affairs officers from Devon and Cornwall Police held a series of property marking events over the past two weeks, offering free trailer marking for farmers and rural communities.

Recent property marking events have been held at livestock markets in Hallworthy Holsworthy and Matford and saw officers from the Rural Affairs team offering free trailer marking to farmers.

The events were held as part of a rural crime intensification week following an increase in trailer thefts in the South West of England in recent months, and were supported by partner agencies, including Kivells who kindly facilitated the events. 

Over the course of the three events, forty trailers were marked with SelectaDNA fluid; an invisible, permanent fluid with a unique code that ensures stolen items are traceable.

Stickers and signage supplied alongside the kits also act as a visible deterrent and make the trailers less likely to be stolen by criminals.

Rural Affairs Officer, PC Clarke Orchard, set up the events and is the lead for Farm Machinery, Agri & Plant Machinery and Agricultural vehicle theft at Devon & Cornwall Police. He said “We understand the misery that criminals cause to hardworking farmers and landowners.

“Trailers can cost thousands of pounds to replace, and theft of trailers and even a temporary loss of equipment can impact productivity.

“Using property marking kits allows us to link recovered items back to their rightful owners and helps us bring offenders to justice.”

“We’re passionate about tackling all aspects of rural crime and these trailer marking events are just one of many different tactics we’re employing to tackle rural crime in the peninsula.

“We will continue to work closely with partner organisations; doing everything we can to ensure people living and working in rural areas feel safe.”

Local Neighbourhood Team Leader, PS Donna Gutteridge, supported the event at Holsworthy. She added, “It was great to see so many people from our local farming community taking the opportunity to mark their equipment as part of these events.

“These kinds of products provide a tremendous deterrent against theft and assists us in returning equipment to the owner when stolen items are recovered”. 

The Rural Affairs Team used the property marking events as an opportunity to share valuable crime prevention advice with rural communities and to chat with local farmers about any concerns in their area.

For information on upcoming events and rural crime prevention advice, sign up to Devon & Cornwall Community Messaging, here: Home Page - Devon and Cornwall Community Messaging

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