FARMERS in Devon were treated to a special drone flight last Monday (February 12), to showcase how police are using technology to fight rural crime. 

A drone used by Devon and Cornwall Police was used at a farm in Exeter. 

PC Clarke Orchard and PC Julian Fry from the rural affairs team hid on the farm, but they were soon found thanks to the deployment of the drone. 

The demonstration helped NFU members to understand how far the drone allows officers to see when tracking down criminals in rural areas. The drone has thermal imaging as well as zoom capacity that means officers can identify individuals and read licence plates. 

PC Orchard said: "In relation to rural crime, the drone gives us opportunities to cover vast amounts of geography, day and night.

“The capabilities of the drone gives us a big outreach where we can look to cover really vulnerable areas that are geographically challenged.

“We can cover a large amount of land where we can pick up vehicles and suspicious characters under the canopy of night and various other things that might be associated with aspects of rural crime.

“Rural crime is a real issue at the moment, not just locally but nationally as well.

“Some of the main threats we’re seeing at the moment are livestock theft, livestock worrying and in particular farm machinery and farm vehicle theft.

“That can be anything from quad bikes being stolen to larger vehicles such as tractors, trailers and precision equipment as well like the domes on a tractor.

“We’re seeing a huge uplift of that within the force and that’s associated with all of the aspects around vulnerability of the farm.”

Sophie Herd, NFU Devon assistant county advisor, helped to organise the day. 

“It was important to have officers from the Devon and Cornwall Police’s Rural Affairs team out on farm to speak to county NFU members about their work tackling rural crime," she added. 

“Working closely with the police on a matter that affects so many members of the farming community is essential to ensure our members feel safe and protected on their farms.

“Rural crime is an issue that causes massive problems for farmers here in Devon, whether it be through financial loss or fears for their safety, so we hope that the addition of a dedicated task force and a drone to help identify criminals will help to reduce the amount of incidents we are seeing.

“We encourage any members who witness or experience rural crime to contact the police as soon as possible.”