Two men have been arrested following a raid on a farm in Lancaster, carried out as part of a crack down on rural crime.
Officers from Lancaster’s target team executed a theft warrant at a farm and adjacent land in Long Lane, Quernmore, near Lancaster, at around 10.00am this morning. Officers from the Environment Agency and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs also attended.
A stolen trailer and a suspected fuel laundering set-up were discovered at the site and Police are continuing their search of the immediate area.
A 44-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of obstructing a police officer, theft and theft of a motor vehicle. A 45-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft.
The raid followed an investigation into fuel and metal thefts in the Lancaster area and was carried out as part of Operation Firecrest – a county-wide operation to combat rural crime.
“We often find that the most common type of offences in our rural communities are fuel and scrap metal theft, as well as theft of agricultural machinery,” commented Detective Inspector Martin Pearson. “Criminals can be under the mistaken impression that because they are operating in rural areas they are less likely to be caught, but this is not the case.
“We work closely with local communities and, as well as carrying out regular patrols and operating schemes such as FarmWatch, we encourage residents to report suspicious activity to us. These close links allow us to tackle crime together.”
• Anyone with information about crime in rural areas is asked to contact police on 0845 1 25 35 45 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. In an emergency always dial 999.