A team set up to tackle rural crime in Cumbria said it has seen a 44% drop in quad bike thefts in the county.
Cumbria Police Rural Crime Team said this equated to 30 fewer victims having a quadbike stolen.
Sergeant Amanda McKirdy, of the Rural Crime Team, said: “The team have been involved in a variety of jobs over the past 12 months, ranging from locating stolen farm machinery, caravans and vehicles.
“As part of this work we have crossed borders to make arrests and worked in partnership with a range of organisations to bring offenders to justice.
“Our mission stays the same as we enter into 2025 – to continue to target those who enter our county to commit crimes and protecting our local communities
“We continue to ask our communities to support our efforts by reporting incidents to us.”
Operation Lantern is the constabulary’s dedicated operation to target rural crime within Cumbria. The operation aims to prevent and disrupt serious and organised rural acquisitive crime that occurs in our county.
The operation sees officers from multiple departments working together such as officers from Neighbourhood Policing, Roads Policing Unit, CID, Dog Section and more work together to tackle the issue.
This work has resulted in multiple arrests in connection to rural crime with many leading to conviction.
The team said this included:
- Jamie Cliff, 30, of Melrose Drive, St Helen Auckland, was sentenced on September 26 2024 after he pleaded guilty to two police assaults and driving while disqualified. He received an eight-month custodial sentence and was further disqualified from driving for 48 months.
- Michael Broomfield, 38, of Cheviot Walk, Coundon, Bishop Auckland, was sentenced on October 18 for burglary and was sentenced to six months in prison.
- Thomas Price, 60, of Redway Road, Cardiff, with theft and breach of a criminal behaviour order. He was sentenced to two years and two months.
The team also worked with the RSPCA and secured the following:
- Reece Robertson, 26, Cook Road, Millom, on April 29 was sentenced at South Cumbria Magistrates’ Court, having pleaded guilty to four offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Robertson was banned from keeping animals for 10 years, given a 12-month community order which requires him to complete 200 hours of unpaid work.
- Peter Bewsher, 35, of Greendykes, Egremont, was in court on November 6 following a warrant conducted in 2024 after three dogs were rescued by the RSPCA as part of an investigation into wildlife offences. He was given a suspended sentence and disqualified from keeping dogs.
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner David Allen, said: “Cumbria is an incredibly rural county so it’s vital that we have dedicated resources to combat rural crime and provide safety advice to businesses and residents.
“A 44% drop in quad bike thefts is no small feat and highlights just how dedicated the Rural Crime Team – and all police – are to combatting crime and keeping the county safe.”
