Crime prevention stepped up in rural areas to combat seasonal crime

Crime prevention tools have been deployed in rural areas of Northamptonshire to combat the rise in crime that historically comes with darker nights.

Operation Motif is the Force’s response in tackling rural crime during the winter months and this year, crime prevention and neighbourhood policing officers have been proactively visiting farms and businesses to implement the tools required to catch the offenders.

These tools include CCTV cameras, Ring doorbells, window shock alarms and anti-climb toppings.

Some rural businesses have also been able to benefit from a trial being run by the Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, which involves the rental of VideoGuard 360 cameras – machines boasting three HD cameras which give out warning messages against committing criminal behaviour should a sensor be triggered. The cameras are also fully mobile, meaning they can be placed in any area that could be determined vulnerable.

Crime prevention officers have also been visiting farms and businesses to encourage them to get their machinery marked with CESAR so that it can be returned if stolen and then recovered. 

Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Barry Hughes, said: “Rural crime such as burglary and vehicle theft historically rises when the nights get darker and by implementing these crime prevention strategies early doors, we are hoping to get ahead of the offenders – first to warn them and secondly, to catch them if they decide to target a rural business in this county.

“Northamptonshire is a largely rural county and so we want to make sure that farms and rural businesses are given as much support and advice as possible in order for them to remain crime-free this winter.

“I would also like to use this opportunity to encourage members of the public to contact us if they notice any suspicious behaviour around farms, rural commercial premises and rural villages and to contact us, quoting Op Motif, if they feel there is anything we should know about.”

For crime prevention advice to protect your rural business please visit Rural crime prevention | Northamptonshire Police (northants.police.uk).