Northumbria Police has marked an extra £200,000-worth of agricultural machinery, tools and equipment with invisible DNA code in a bid to curb rural theft.
Northumbria Police’s dedicated Rural Crime Team have been using the specialist markings on machinery to better protect rural communities and fight rural crime.
It brings the total amount marked to £300,000 worth of machinery since the anti-theft initiative started.
The technology allows police to spot any stolen marked property that thieves may be attempting to sell on and identify its rightful owner.
The Northumberland Partnership Against Rural Crime (NPARC) rolled out the new marking system a few years ago and now new events will encourage more machinery to be tagged.
The specialist forensic DNA technology will be brought to Scots Gap on Wednesday 1 November from 9.30am, the team have confirmed.
Farmers are invited to attend to have their all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), trailers and other agricultural equipment marked with the invisible DNA code.
Rural crime project manager Sandra Killeen said: “We are inviting our rural communities to come to the event next week with any ATVs, quad bikes, trailers and other valuable equipment that is exactly the type of thing we regularly see thieves target.
“We will then be able to tag their equipment with a specialist unique invisible code, which will help us identify stolen property and allow it to be successfully returned to the owners.
“Although, most importantly, it will allow us to take swift action against those preying on our rural communities.
“Now that autumn has very much arrived, this is exactly the time for those living in the outskirts of the region to review and inventory their farming and agricultural kit – and bring it to us to be marked up.”
To book a space at the DNA marking event, email ruralnorthumberlandmailbox@northumbria.pnn.police.uk.
