Roads Policing officers who successfully completed a specialist two-day course on Plant and Agricultural Vehicle Theft Identification earlier this year have been presented with their qualification at the Royal Highland Show.
Several of the officers were presented with their certificates by Martin Malone, Regional Manager, NFU Mutual Insurance at the Show on Saturday (June 25th, 2016).
Police Scotland now has 12 qualified specialist roads policing officers who are able to appear at court as expert witnesses in the identification of stolen agricultural vehicles and plant.
The two-day course, held at the Police Scotland College Tulliallan was funded by NFU Mutual, a key partner in the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime.
The 12 officers are now accredited agricultural vehicle examiners and have the knowledge to identify the indicators of stolen farm vehicles and machinery and determine when the equipment is stolen.
The two-day course was in addition to training delivered in March 2016 to Mechanics and police officers from across Scotland on the CESAR (Construction & Agricultural Equipment Security Register) Marking Scheme to deter the theft of plant, agricultural and construction vehicles.
Chief Supt Gavin Robertson, Chair of SPARC, said “we are very pleased to have delivered this latest training in collaboration with NFU Mutual. Wee recognise that the theft of a vehicle routinely used as part of a business will have a significant impact on day to day productivity.
SPARC members have been encouraged by the reduction in theft of agricultural vehicles overall and of quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles in particular, and arrests and vehicle recoveries continue to be made across the country, Excellent progress has been made but we are determined to do even more to prevent this type of crime and further reduce its impact on farming, forestry and rural communities.
“Local policing teams are working with partners to deter those responsible, disrupt their criminal activities and detect any crimes committed”.
Martin Malone, Regional Manager, NFU Mutual Insurance, said: “Vehicle or machinery theft can cause considerable disruption to businesses and NFU Mutual is pleased to support this training. We are committed to working with our partners in SPARC to reduce rural crime and the resultant impact on our members as well as the wider rural community”
Allan Bowie, NFU Scotland President commented: “NFU Scotland remains actively involved in the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC), and this training has been carried out as part of that workstream.
“It is very encouraging to see work like this being undertaken by Police Scotland, as anything which safeguards our members’ property and makes it less attractive to criminals is a positive thing.”
Sarah-Jane Laing, Director of Policy & Parliamentary Affairs at Scottish Land & Estates, said:
“Rural crime is an issue that has gained prominence in recent years and it is pleasing that a range of organisations, including Scottish Land & Estates, are working in partnership with Police Scotland through SPARC to address the problem in our countryside regions.
“It is excellent news that Police Scotland has trained more of its officers with the specialist knowledge they need to tackle plant and agricultural vehicle theft and we hope this will aid the positive progress that has been achieved in tackling these sorts of incidents in recent years.”
Anyone who suspects criminal activity is asked to call 101 for non-emergencies and general enquiries, or in an emergency to call 999. Alternatively they can call Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online at http://www.crimestoppers-uk.org/.
No personal details are taken information is not traced or recorded and you will not go to court.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
