'Fear falls' after rural anti-crime campaign

Police in North Yorkshire have seen a dramatic fall in the number of offences since Operation Jumbo was launched at the end of last year, and officers confirmed that colleagues in the region's three other forces are now adopting the tactics.

The North Yorkshire force has stepped up its front-line crime-fighting in countryside communities, building closer links with farmers and residents living in isolated areas.

A rural watch scheme launched in the Selby district now has 300 members who are alerting officers if they spot any suspicious activity.

Pc Kevin Kelly, who has been overseeing the operation with Police Community Support Officer Laura Simpson, said: "We have been contacted by members of the public who have said that Operation Jumbo has literally changed their lives.

"They are no longer afraid whenever a security light flicks on at night at their properties, and the operation has seen a dramatic fall in the number of offences. Rural watch members act as our eyes and ears in what is a vast district to cover."

The Yorkshire Post revealed in December that police intelligence revealed that a criminal network was operating throughout the North of England to organise lucrative hare-coursing events in isolated rural locations.

Bets running into hundreds of pounds or wagers involving stolen tractors and other farm equipment have been placed on which dog will catch a hare first.

Some of the most sought-after dogs for hare-coursing events had been changing hands for up to 1,000 each. The recession has also been blamed for a rise in the problem of poaching wildlife such as deer as criminals look to sell on meat.

The second phase of Operation Jumbo in the Selby district came to an end last night and the crackdown is due to be introduced in the Harrogate and Richmondshire areas in the next month before being rolled out across North Yorkshire.

The two phases in the Selby district have seen 318 vehicles stopped with 10 of those seized, 24 arrests made for wildlife and rural crime offences and more than 100 people searched.

Before the crackdown was launched, up to 50 reports of poaching and hare-coursing were being made to police in the Selby district each week. The figure has now fallen to just a handful of reports.

North Yorkshire Police officers are liaising closely with colleagues in South and West Yorkshire as well as the Humberside force, along with other organisations including the RSPCA.