Hampshire & Isle of Wight Constabulary’s dedicated rural and wildlife crime team has been strengthened with additional officers, and a renewed focus to bolster the police’s efforts in bringing the fight to rural criminals.

The Country Watch Rural Crime Task Force brings together all of the skills and resource of the existing Country Watch team, with an additional proactive team who will be focused on targeting serious organised and acquisitive crime in rural parts of the county.

Rural areas make up approximately 75% of our policing area in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with organised criminal gangs operating across borders to steal farming equipment and machinery, engage in violence and intimidation, and poach local wildlife.

Assistant Chief Constable Tara McGovern said: “Country Watch has been an established team for many years, made up of officers and staff who routinely investigate rural and wildlife crime, patrol isolated rural areas, engage with impacted communities, and work collaboratively with other police teams, forces and partners to conduct proactive operations.

“Over time the team has procured a number of specialist assets, such as mobile ANPR cameras and drones, to bolster their skillset.

“All of that skill, expertise and technology will not only be retained by the Task Force but reinforced with an additional proactive team of officers to relentlessly pursue offenders and provide a valuable visible presence in communities.  

“The additional officers are a dedicated asset to respond to any 999 calls from rural communities.

“They will conduct daily patrols in hotspot areas for rural crime, and exercise their powers to proactively stop vehicles and gather intelligence to make the environment a hostile place for organised crime gangs.

“They will also work as part of the wider Country Watch task force and with other local policing colleagues - such as Local Bobbies, Neighbourhood Policing Teams, and Area Crime Teams – to carry out regular proactive operations focused on disrupting individuals who are actively involved in this type of offending in our area.

“Rural criminals cause misery to hardworking farmers, gamekeepers and landowners, leaving so many feeling isolated and intimidated. We are putting more investment and co-ordination into tackling rural crime so we can keep these communities safe.”

Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police & Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones, said: “Since I became Police and Crime Commissioner I have made tackling rural crime one of my main priorities. I am investing millions of pounds into dealing with rural crime through initiatives such as the Country Watch Rural Crime Task Force, ANPR cameras and thermal imaging technology to track offenders.

“We need to take the fight to the criminals and the organised crime gangs that are working across the beautiful countryside in our two counties.

“Their activities, such as theft of machinery, hare coursing, poaching, fishing and fly tipping, are leaving these farmers and landowners as well as their businesses suffering, but through the Country Watch Rural Crime Task Force I am determined that we can help our rural communities feel more safe and secure.”

Intelligence is crucial to informing our patrol activity and where and how we target our resources.

We encourage our rural communities to please keep reporting every piece of information you have about rural crime to police.

We need the crime reports and intelligence from you so we can get a clear picture of the harm being caused, the individuals involved, the types of vehicles being used, and the areas being targeted.

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

Alternatively, you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers 100% anonymously on 0800 555 111, or via their anonymous online form at crimestoppers-uk.org

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

If you are a member of DISC you can also use this platform to provide information to the police. If you have a business connection to the rural and wildlife environment, you may be eligible to be a member of DISC. Please email discreports@hampshire.police.uk