Rural Crime News 8 – 14 August

Beware! Hare coursing is back

The first hare coursing incident of the season took place at a

property in Dry Doddington in Main Street on Monday 13

August. The victim reported to us that their vehicle had been

damaged by coursers – its tyres had been slashed.

Officers are investigating and residents are urged to be vigilant

and report any sightings of hare coursing to the police.

You can do this by calling 101 or 999 if there is an immediate

risk to someone's safety. Or why not use the new

CrimeStoppers number to report anonymously?

Handy go-to guide for farmers

Lincolnshire Police remain committed to tackling

rural crime, working in partnership with our rural

communities and businesses. We’ve had some real

successes but that is no reason to drop our guard.

This information pack is designed to ensure that you

have all the information you are likely to need to play

your part, and to help us play ours.

Being a victim of crime in a rural area can be troubling

and that some such crime can be repeated unless

it’s stopped. That is why we need you to report what

you experience, and to help keep your home and

property safe by being an active participant in our

watch schemes; signing up to LincsAlert; choosing

from any of the other actions suggested here that may

be relevant.

You should have received this from one of our

Neighbourhood Policing Team members. Please

support them and make use of them; they are there to

serve you and your community.

We are as determined as ever to make you safe and we

look forward to your help!

We’ll be taking a closer look at the guide in the future

but you can access it here:

https://www.lincs.police.uk/media/253293/farmers-

information-guide.pdf

Avoiding arson – advice for farmers

Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service and

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue’s Arson Task Force are

providing help and advice to prevent arson attacks on

farms this autumn. Nottinghamshire’s county adviser,

Andy Guy details some of their top tips.

In Nottinghamshire, PC Jason Fellowes and Graham

Picker of Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue are

travelling the county talking to farmers about this issue –

this follows a spate of attacks both in 2016 and 2017

when many thousands of tonnes of straw and fodder

were lost to the crime of arson. The pair are targeting

high risk areas of the county and farms that have

previously suffered arson attacks.

Jason and Graham’s top tips are to keep stacks small

and scattered. Keep them low so that they are less

visible to potential pyromaniacs and maintain a safe

distance between the stacks and a good walk from the

highway. In detail, good practice includes ……

• Removing hay and straw from fields as

soon as possible after harvesting

• Storing bales separately from buildings,

machinery and chemicals

• Making stacks a reasonable size and

spacing them at least 10 metres apart

• Positioning stacks away from paths and

rights of way

• Keeping petrol, diesel and other fuels

(including gas cylinders) stored in secure

areas

• Keeping fertilisers and pesticides under

lock and key

• Disposing of refuse safely on a regular

basis

• Ensuring fences and gates are in good

condition and checking them regularly

• Installing intruder sensors and security

lighting

• Preparing a fire routine and action plan

and make sure all farm staff know what to

do

Avoiding arson – advice for farmers

Lincolnshire Police also recommends displaying CCTV

warning signs and cultivating the ground between

stacks to reduce the chance of the fire crossing the

break.

Maintain fire extinguishers and keep a tank or bowser of

water available so that you can react quickly in the

event of an outbreak but also make sure that you know

the location of the nearest fire hydrants and ensure that

they are easily accessible for the Fire Service.

Keep a list of the OS map coordinates of your stacks

near the phone so that, if you are unfortunate enough to

need the services you are able to give them accurate

directions to the location of the fire.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Arson Task Force is

adding its weight to the NFRS messages. Prevention

and protection manager, Dan Moss said: “Farms are

particularly vulnerable to arson. Their isolated locations,

open boundaries and readily ignitable materials, such

as straw stacks, make them an easy target. Arson is a

serious crime with devastating consequences, put lives

at risk and bring a farm to a standstill. We want to help

farmers keep the risks as low as is possible and prevent

this antisocial and dangerous crime.”

If a fire breaks out • Call Fire & Rescue without delay

on 999 • Only attempt to fight the fire if it

is safe to do so • Send someone to the farm

entrance to give directions • Prepare to evacuate livestock

should the fire spread • Prepare any farm machinery to

assist firefighters

What else is Lincolnshire Police dealing with?

What else is Lincolnshire Police dealing with?

Follow and contact us on Twitter!

@SuptPhilVickers

Lincs Police Officer and Rural Crime Lead

@LPWildlifeCrime

Wildlife Rural Crime Officer and Force Dog Legislation

officer

@LincsRuralCrime

Rural Crime officers dedicated to rural community safety

and tackling hare coursing.

@MarcJonesLincs

Police, Crime & Victims Commissioner for Lincolnshire.

@LincsCOPter

Updates and news from the Lincs Police drone operators

Rural crime? … Report it every time We rely on information from our rural community. Every call counts and adds to our intelligence picture. Please

continue to report hare coursing or any other rural crime. We are genuinely grateful for every call.

We appreciate that some people will wish to report anonymously, and that’s fine too …

Do you find Rural Crime News useful or how could we make

it better for you? We would be pleased to hear your

feedback. Please email: simon.cotton@lincs.pnn.police.uk