Multi-agency operation disrupts cross-border rural crime

More than 20 vehicles were stopped as part of a day of action to tackle rural crime along the border between Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire.

Cambridgeshire’s Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) and Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) joined forces with Lincolnshire’s RCAT to carry out Operation Chambers on Tuesday (28 October), targeting motorists on the A16 which connects the two counties.

The teams patrolled the area, intercepting vehicles and escorting them to Thorney Road South in Crowland, Lincolnshire, where checks could be carried out. Checks were conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), Driver and Vehicle Licencing Agency (DVLA), His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Environment Agency, Peterborough City Council, and the UK National Rural Crime Unit.

Over a six-hour period:

• 25 vehicles were stopped
• Two vehicles were seized for being uninsured and the driver not having a licence
• A 35-year-old man was detained for immigration offences
• Multiple trailers, horseboxes, and quadbikes were checked and ownership verified
• 91 untaxed vehicles were identified by the DVLA
• 16 vehicles were tested for red diesel compliance by HMRC
• Five waste carriers were inspected by the Environment Agency, with four being issued with advice and guidance
• Three large goods vehicles (LGVs) were prohibited for being overloaded, including one who weighed in at 6080kg and was full of tomatoes. A £200 Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN) was issued.
• One heavy goods vehicle (HGV) driver was issued a £300 FPN and reported for no operators licence after they were caught not using a tachograph card
• Three immediate prohibitions were issued by the DVSA – one to a car for having exposed tyre cords, one to a HGV for the driver mirror not having an adequate view to the rear side or the front, and one to a LGV for having exposed tyre cords, defective stop lamps, insecure seatbelts and underinflated tyres
• One LGV was issued a delayed prohibition due to fluid leaking from the engine

Sergeant Tom Nuttall, from Cambridgeshire’s RCAT and coordinator of the operation, said: “We understand the frustration of those who are victims of crime such as agricultural and machinery theft, and so days such as this are a perfect chance for us to work together to seek stolen property and disrupt criminals.

“This operation highlights the importance of taking a collaborative approach in tackling rural crime and reinforces the commitment of all partners to safeguarding rural communities and holding offenders to account.”

Peter Stark, enforcement team leader from the Environment Agency, said: “Those involved in waste crime can often be associated with other offending and are of interest to other agencies.

“Coming together on these days of action allow us all to maintain strong partnerships and share information while helping to protect the environment, communities, and legitimate businesses.”