Local Priorities Farming equipment thefts Message

I wanted to provide you with an update regarding Farming equipment thefts, which people around your area have highlighted as an issue of concern on the priority survey.

Two further quad bikes have been stolen in burglaries in Halton Gill overnight between the 23rd and 24th December 2025 in the early hours of the morning. Significant effort has been made to steal these quads which were secured within locked buildings. These bikes travelled through Stainforth and they were spotted again Gargrave towards Lothersdale. Please keep eyes and ears open and report anything unusual. These thieves are still targeting our rural areas, and stealing vital, expensive farming equipment. Please consider technology in the form of trackers and live time cctv to protect equipment and help us catch the offenders. If you suspect something, report it! If you know anything about this latest burglary, or have any information or cctv, please contact North Yorkshire Police and quote job number 12250241045.

Rural crime has no set definition but can be very broadly classified as any crime and anti-social behaviour occurring in rural areas. It is often linked to Organised Crime Groups (OCGs) who target and exploit rural communities across a range of crime types, for example organised plant theft, livestock theft, burglaries targeting firearms, poaching and hare coursing.

The NPCC (National Police Chiefs Council) has developed a Rural Affairs Strategy which sets out police priorities in this area:

• Farm machinery, plant and vehicle theft - including quad bikes, modern and vintage tractors, tools and equipment from outbuildings.
• Livestock offences - including theft, worrying and attacks.
• Fuel theft - including heating oil, diesel and petrol.
• Equine crime - including horse trailer and horse box theft, horse theft, tack theft, fly grazing and neglect.
• Fly tipping - including household and commercial waste, waste through organised criminality.
• Poaching which crosses over with the wildlife priorities - including hare coursing, deer poaching, fish poaching.
• Heritage crime - It is also important to recognise that rural crime and antisocial behaviour have an adverse impact on the historic environment and heritage assets found across the United Kingdom - including the theft of metal from church buildings, unlawful metal detecting and interference with historic shipwrecks.

More information on these issues and prevention advice can be found at Rural crime | Neighbourhood Watch Network

If you ever experience this issue or have information regarding an incident, please report it using our online reporting tools at https://www.northyorkshire.police.uk/, speak to an operator in our Force Communications Room via our online web chat or call the non-emergency number 101. 

Alternatively, you can stay 100 per cent anonymous by contacting the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or via their untraceable online form at crimestoppers-uk.org.

Get Involved

Please consider getting involved and contribute to the local priority survey, we may be unaware of issues that you would like us to focus on.  Take a few minutes to securely and privately register and have your say using the button below, this will mean we can focus on things that matter to you. 

Please click here to complete the survey