A rural crime-fighting operation will see police deployed across Scarborough and Ryedale to stop 'cross-border criminals', North Yorkshire police have said.
Dubbed 'Operation Countryside' it will bring together local officers and specialist units.
The police will be using intelligence reports and live-time automatic number plate recognition to track suspicious vehicles.
The farming industry has previously rallied around the Government to take action on the 'blight' of rural crime hitting the UK recently.
Farmers across the UK are increasingly concerned about incidences of criminal activity including vehicle thefts, livestock theft, fly-tipping, sheep worrying, trespass, poaching, arson, vandalism and fraud.
'High profile patrols'
Inspector Jon Grainge, of North Yorkshire's Police Taskforce, said offenders from urban areas travel to rural areas to steal machinery.
"We know that offenders from urban areas outside North Yorkshire travel into our communities intent on stealing quad bikes, farm machinery and other valuable property," said Inspector Jon Grainge, of North Yorkshire's Police Taskforce.
"Operation Countryside will see specialist police resources deployed proactively across Scarborough and Ryedale’s road networks, dealing with road traffic offences, targeting suspicious vehicles and creating a hostile environment for cross-border criminals.
"High-profile patrols will create a visible deterrent, intelligence will be gathered and used to inform live-time deployments, and officers will use a range of police powers to disrupt would-be offenders wherever possible.
"Patrols will focus not just on the main arterial routes, such as the A171, A174 and A165, but also minor roads frequented by criminals trying to avoid detection.
"Criminals who travel to the Scarborough and Ryedale area will find it very difficult to get in and out again without being spotted, stopped and challenged. North Yorkshire is one of the safest places in the country and residents can be reassured that we’re determined to keep it that way."
Rural crime task forces
Police forces across the UK have started to develop specialist rural crime task forces and teams.
In 2015, the National Rural Crime Survey discovered that rural communities were not only living in fear of crime being committed against them, but that they were under-reporting crime by up to a third.
In response to this, and following a meeting involving more than 100 stakeholders, North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce was established in April 2016.
The North Yorkshire police operation begins this month, and will run throughout the summer.
