Hare coursers among incidents as police continue rural initiative

Officers in South Shropshire have kicked off the new year by continuing with patrols as part of Operation Whitebeam, which targets people who may be involved in rural crime.

South Shropshire Safer Neighbourhood Teams (SNT) have continued with the operation following support from farms, which sees officers and PCSOs carry out high visibility patrols across south Shropshire towns, including 47 surrounding parishes of concern.

The first operation of the year took place on Tuesday evening and into the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The force said on Tuesday, officers were alerted to what was believed to be hare coursing incident in Badger near Bridgnorth, where three suspects made off in a vehicle when officers arrived. Officers will now be carrying out high-visibility patrols within this area in the upcoming months.

Valuable intelligence was gained during the operation and detailed reports have been created to make other officers aware of information, which will allow them to act upon it if needed.

Officers said 15 vehicle checks were also conducted and earlier in the week officers visited seven farms, providing security and crime prevention advice as part of the operation.

Inspector Damien Kelly, from South Shropshire’s Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: “Operation Whitebeam continues to be a successful initiative helping to reduce rural thefts.

“As part of the operation officers and PCSOs carry out a number of visible patrols, increasing police presence in areas we know are targeted by criminals, to deter them and provide reassurance to the community.

“Carrying out high visibility and plain vehicle patrols, we are able to speak to the public about the operation, and how we as a force are tackling rural crime, especially with the darker nights now upon us.

“We remain committed to keeping our communities safe and we want them to know that these initiatives are helping achieve this.”

Communities can take part in Rural Watch, which is a free scheme set up to support communities in the fight against rural crime. People can also sign up for Neighbourhood Matters, our free community messaging service, to keep up to date with the work local policing teams are doing in their area.