A quad bike, dozens of hedge trimmers and other stolen tools have been recovered by rural officers in Dartford.
Work was already underway to find the stolen quad bike that had been reported missing from a shed in Five Oak Green, Tonbridge, on Monday 30 January 2023. Officers from the Rural Task Force (RTF) made enquiries and used specialist equipment to track the bike to a storage unit in Watling Street, Bean, where the vehicle, along with an array of other items, were discovered.
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Officers believe all the goods have been stolen and they have already identified several owners following reported burglaries in Kent and London.
Sergeant Darren Walshaw from the RTF said: ‘At this stage no arrests have been made but we continue to carry out our enquiries and we are still in the process of identifying the owners of these items. Burglary is such an intrusive crime and costly for victims and we are pleased to have recovered this equipment and been able to get some of it back to the rightful owners.
‘Kent has more farms and smallholdings than most other counties in the South East and this unfortunately means there are opportunities for criminals intent on stealing high value items including tractors, quad bikes and horse boxes.
‘It is always a good idea to mark your property clearly, so that if, in the unfortunate event, it gets stolen we can get it back to you a lot quicker. My team regularly provides farmers and other business-owners with advice on how they can protect their equipment, and we also help tackle a wide range of other issues including wildlife offences and fly-tipping.’
To read more about the support available for those living in rural areas, and to report a crime visit the website.