On the evening of Friday the 18th and into the early hours of Saturday the 19th of October, 18 Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers from eight Safer Neighbourhood Teams were involved in conducting Operation Whitebeam.  The purpose of the operation, which is held several times a year, is to tackle rural crime by using targeted patrols and the disruption of key ‘high risk’ areas that have been identified by the intelligence department and local Officers.

As a result of the operation, 50 vehicle checks were conducted and two vehicles were seized, both had no insurance, tax or MOT.

Two vehicles being driven in a manner that was suspicious were stopped and searched and the driver of one of these was also  searched.

Valuable intelligence was gained on a number of suspects and eight detailed reports have been submitted so that other Officers are aware of the information.

In the earlier part of the evening Officers visited several farms, providing security and crime prevention advice.  In addition, Officers explained the Police Neighbourhood Matters Messaging service and signed up another five households.

Officers came across a high-risk domestic violence incident where a victim had fled after being assaulted by their ex-partner, an arrest package for the suspect was completed for other Officers, who will continue the search for the offender to make an arrest. 

Officers have serviced 15 Town and Parish Council Priorities as part of the community charter during the operation.