Extra motorcycle police totackle crime

He said: “Rural crime is a priority for police and we are determined to reduce this type of crime in our local area. I am deploying an additional motorcycle resource to increase visibility and patrols in local rural areas.”

He was speaking at a successful ‘CESAR IT’ to help farmers combat thefts of agricultural machinery.

CESAR is a registration scheme giving peace of mind that farming equipment is protected by state of the art technology.

“I would encourage all farmers and people who live in rural areas to install the CESAR IT System which helps to make their machinery much less attractive to criminals and provide discount on their insurance,” said the Foyle Area Commander.

Councillor Thomas Conway, Chair of the local Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) said: “This was an excellent opportunity for farmers living in the Council area to get their tractors or quads marked with a unique datatag. Rural theft, especially of farm equipment and machinery, was a serious problem a few years ago but these types of initiatives deter criminals.

“It sends a clear message to thieves who may consider the farming community to be soft targets that they are more likely to be caught and convicted.

“I would congratulate our partners in the PSNI Crime Prevention Officer and Neighbourhood Policing Teams on their delivery of this initiative and encourage more farmers to sign up to future planned crime prevention events.”

PSNI Crime Prevention Officer Gillian Dixon explained: “We would encourage all farmers to use crime prevention methods and always report suspicious activity to Police immediately. We would ask they note descriptions of persons and vehicle types, colours and registrations then call Police on 0845 600 8000.”