POLICE are taking steps to make Craven a no-go area for cross border thieves, following a recent spate of residential and commercial burglaries.

With the support of specialist units such as the Rural Task Force and Operational Support Unit, the local Neighbourhood Policing Team are conducting more high visibility patrols in the surrounding villages, further strengthening the police presence in the area.

As part of these measures, a new Rural Watch scheme has been set up in the Grassington area.

Rural Watch schemes in other parts of the region have proven to be essential in the fight against rural crime. Working together with policing teams, volunteers act as the eyes and ears of the police while they go about their daily business, looking out for anything which raises their suspicions. They are also trained to participate in dedicated patrols, increasing the coverage that local officers can offer.

14 new volunteers have been recruited and have completed their training and will soon be ready to be deployed out on patrol.

Craven Neighbourhood Policing Sergeant Paul Evans said:“We have been speaking with the local community and they have told us of their concerns regarding the number of burglaries which have taken place over recent months in the North Craven and Grassington areas.

“That’s why we have taken steps to establish a new Rural Watch group and we are working closely with our colleagues from our specialist units, to do everything we can to increase the police presence in the area and deter burglars from entering the region.

“We’ve had a great response from the public to the Rural Watch scheme, with fourteen new volunteers trained and ready to go and plans to roll out the scheme further into North Craven. We are very fortunate that those who have volunteered know the local area like the back of their hand, so will notice if anything looks suspicious or is out of place. Extra feet on the ground and extra eyes and ears out in the community means more coverage of the area and more information being fed back to police."

He added: “Adding resources such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition into the mix and our PCSO colleagues proactively visiting vulnerable areas of our region and sharing crime prevention advice, means we are sending a very clear message to cross border burglars that we are not ‘easy-pickings’ due to our rural location.”

Officers will also be working with colleagues in Cumbria and in Lancashire to establish cross force patrols and to share intelligence.

“We are working extremely hard to keep our area safe. However, we cannot be everywhere, so information and intelligence from local communities plays a key role in our fight against rural crime," he said.

“Local residents are the best people to recognise when something is unusual or out of place – and if that’s the case, we’d like to hear about it. Please report anything suspicious to the police using the 101 phone number. Even if it doesn’t need an immediate response, every piece of information helps us to build up a picture and could prove vital in bringing to justice the criminals who target our rural communities.”