Appeal for information made following burglaries at farm near Colden Common

An investigation is underway into a number of burglaries reported at a farm near Colden Common.

We received a report of a burglary that took place at the farm off the B2177 Portsmouth Road on the night of Thursday 28 August. A number of containers were broken into and tools stolen.

We were then called at 11.11pm on Sunday 31 August to a report of a burglary at the same site. Officers attended and made a search of the site. No property was reported as stolen.

A further report of a burglary at the farm was made to us at 12.55am on Monday 1 September. Officers attended and conducted a further search of the property, and nothing was reported to have been stolen.

Following enquiries, two people have been arrested as part of this investigation.

A 38-year-old man and a 42-year-old man, both from Datchet, Berkshire were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to burgle.

They have since been released on police bail with conditions pending further enquiries.

We are making enquiries into other non-dwelling burglaries in the area, and are looking to see if these incidents are linked.

Detectives have also been carrying out enquiries after a firearms discharge was heard on the call to the police for the incident on Sunday 31 August.

When officers attended, no intruders were found and no-one was reported to have been injured.

Later on Monday 1 September, it was reported that a 38-year-old man had attended a hospital in Berkshire with gunshot injuries. He was discharged from hospital later that day and arrested as part of the burglary investigation. Enquiries by police led officers to form the suspicion that this may be linked to the farm burglary already under investigation. 

As a result, a man in his 20s and a man in his 30s from the Colden Common area were arrested on suspicion of grievous bodily harm and possessing a firearm with intent to cause fear of violence.

Detectives are now satisfied that the injured man was not shot at the Colden Common site. Further enquiries are ongoing to establish how and where this man came to be injured.

The two arrested men from the Colden Common area have been released with no further action in relation to the GBH offence, but remain on police bail for the firearms offence.

Chief Inspector Korine Bishop, Winchester district commander, said: “This is a complex investigation and our enquiries are moving very quickly.

“We know that members of the rural community will be concerned by the circumstances of these incidents and understandably want to see more action from the police to tackle rural theft and burglary. A team of officers will continue to work on all aspects of this investigation.

“As part of our response to this incident, additional officers have been carrying out increased patrols in the area and speaking to the local community and partners. We will continue to look at every option available to us to tackle this issue, go after offenders and reassure the community.

“We know that burglaries and other thefts at farms can leave victims feeling isolated and intimidated, and that is why we as a force have recently renewed our focus on how we tackle such offending, including investing in a proactive unit for our dedicated Country Watch team. There is clearly more that we need to do to assure victims and the wider rural community that we are taking their concerns seriously but we are committed to making a difference through robust and timely operational policing.

“We can only succeed in tackling rural crime with the support and intelligence we receive from the local communities.

“We want our communities to please keep reporting every piece of information they have about rural crime to us. This will help get a clearer picture of what is going on, the individuals involved, the vehicles being used and the areas being targeted.”

If you have information that you think may help our enquiries into this incident, please call 101, quoting the crime reference number 44250394583.

More generally, if a crime is in progress, or in the event of an emergency, always dial 999.

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

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