A NETWORK of rural policing specialists from around the UK are making strides in the fight against high-value machinery and agricultural thefts – recently seizing £100k of stolen equipment with help from Lithuanian colleagues.

Last spring, a new multi-force team, known as Opal ACE (Agricultural and Construction Equipment), was created to further disrupt criminals targeting these types of businesses.

Spearheaded by Northumbria Police Superintendent Andy Huddleston, the team is celebrating recent successful collaborations with counterparts both in the UK – and abroad.

Earlier this month, officers worked with colleagues in Lithuania to seize more than £100,000 of GPS equipment which was found to have been stolen from a farm in Norfolk.

Supt Huddleston said: “The theft of high-value equipment from farms and rural businesses has a truly devastating impact on victims and their livelihoods.

“These thefts are almost always committed by thieves from outside the rural area who move these expensive, often large pieces of equipment out of the region – and sometimes out of the country, in the hope they will never be tracked down.

“The best way to tackle this type of criminality is through a joined-up approach and working hand-in-hand with other forces and agencies around the UK and abroad.”

The team is a dedicated offshoot of Opal, the national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime.

Supt Huddleston added: “Opal ACE has coordinated forces from across the country working together to tackle cross-border organised crime.

“The team is made up of officers dedicated to bringing offenders to justice, carrying out work to prevent incidents from occurring and collaborating with farmers to help protect their assets.”

Supt Huddleston also praised the efforts of colleagues further afield in helping to clampdown on this type of activity.

He said the recent work with the Lithuanian Police Attaché to the UK, Linas Pernavas, has been instrumental in developing and advancing intelligence.