In order to support the police in isolated areas

Volunteer knights to deter rural thieves and protect antiquities in Britain

• The area of ​​Wiltshire is known for its monuments and beautiful scenery.

  archival

• A farm owner alerted thieves that the place is being monitored by cameras.

  archival

• One of the volunteers on a patrol in the area.

  archival

picture

When Sarah Wearing and her colleague Rachel Firth take a ride through the plains and hills of the Wiltshire countryside, they not only enjoy the beauty of the scenery, but as members of a group of new volunteer jockeys who ride horses to help the local police force, they are trained to spot the signs of rabbit hunt and poison traps. and other violations and reporting them.

Wiltshire Police are working to create the country's first volunteer force of cavalry, to serve as eyes and ears in quiet areas, where poachers and gangsters feel they can move with impunity.

“We go out almost every day on these horses, we go places where not many people go and we get to parts that other people can't go,” says Wearing, the equestrian trainer.

The Wiltshire force has one sergeant and three members of the rural crime team, covering an area of ​​1,346 square miles.

Next year, officials plan to double the number of people on the team.

The force launched the volunteer plan in December and already has more than 80 candidates registered for training.

Once the initial hour-long online training session on rural crime detection and prevention is completed, new associates are provided with tools provided by Historic England, which supports the scheme to help catch antiquities criminals in the archaeologically rich county.

"I am now more attentive, and that gives confidence to call the police, because I know they are," said Wearing.

Volunteers, on horses, watch over the plains, hills, caves, and trails, which are seldom visited by police patrols.

targeting

Wearing said her farm has been targeted by "scary" thieves and gangs tracking rabbits.

Theft case figures from insurance company NFU Mutual show that rural crime in the UK cost £54.3m in 2019, an increase of nearly 9% from the previous year.

The cost fell to £43.3m in 2020 during the pandemic, as lockdowns restricted the activity of thieves.

The Times joined a training session led by Constable Emily Thomas, who told volunteers about the signs of suspicious activity and how to prevent farm vehicle theft and wildlife damage;

As well as avoiding confrontations with criminals.

Tractor theft

Before the pandemic, gangs from Eastern Europe were stealing tractors worth more than £100,000, which were shipped abroad.

One of the missing vehicles was traced back to Poland.

Since the outbreak of the epidemic, freedom of movement to the European Union has become more difficult, and thieves have begun to target GPS systems installed in tractors, as well as smaller vehicles, such as quad bikes.

On one farm, GPS systems worth £110,000 were stolen in one night.

Thomas asked the volunteers to get to know the farmers at their workplace and remind them of preventive measures, such as not leaving car keys and GPS systems outside at night.

“Criminals often target areas at harvest time, workers are tired after a long working day, and they leave things outside,” Thomas said.

The policewoman said that sheep theft is on the increase, "We have recorded an incident in which about 30 heads were taken, in the middle of the night, and a lady helped the perpetrators load them, because she thought she was dealing with a farmer."

local initiative

Over the course of a year and a half, a team of citizens and police worked out plans to see if there was interest among the local population for this initiative, to combat rural crime.

The program began in December and included 71 volunteers, including Steve Berwick, who said it was "a privilege to be a part of it."

"We cover a large area of ​​land, so if we can help, we are happy to do so," he added.

Nick Crookson, from Historic England, said: "It would be great to have volunteers on horseback, supporting the rural community, able to monitor historic sites in Wiltshire and identify and report archaeological crime."

• Volunteers, on their horses, monitor the plains, hills, caves, and paths, which are seldom visited by police patrols.

• £54.3 million the cost of rural crime in the UK, in 2019.

Follow our latest local and sports news and the latest political and economic developments via Google news