THREE suspected poachers were stopped by police near Malton in a crackdown on rural crime.

Dozens of vehicles were stopped and checked, and several suspects arrested on Tuesday night, as part of the biggest rural crime operation in the country.

Police officers and PCSOs from the North Yorkshire, Cumbria, Lancashire, Durham, Cleveland and Northumbria forces worked alongside volunteer watch teams for Operation Checkpoint.

In North Yorkshire, four vehicles were seized by police, four suspects were arrested, and a number of people found in suspicious circumstances were dispersed from the county. Officers in North Yorkshire were supported by more than 50 Mobile Rural Watch volunteers.

At 1.20am, in Slingsby, three suspected poachers in a Ford Ranger were stopped and checked.

However, due to the circumstances, they were issued with a Dispersal Order, requiring them to leave North Yorkshire.

Other incidents included:

  • At 9.10pm, police received a report of an Audi car crashed into a hedge near Leyburn. The 40-year-old driver failed a roadside breath test, and was detained and taken to hospital for treatment. Enquiries into the incident are ongoing.
  • At 9.50pm, North Yorkshire Police officers located a Mercedes van, previously reported stolen from Middlesbrough, on the A171. It was stopped in Scarborough, and the 33-year-old driver was arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle, and handed over to Cleveland Police.
  • At 10.55pm, an Audi car with three 18-year-olds on board was stopped at Mickleby, near Whitby. The driver tested positive for cannabis, and was arrested on suspicion of drug driving. He has been released under investigation while enquiries continue
  • At 11.45pm, three men in a white van were stopped and checked at Hawnby, in the North York Moors. The driver was issued with a Traffic Offence Report for carrying a passenger in a dangerous manner. They were also given a Dispersal Order, requiring them to leave North Yorkshire.

Inspector Matthew Hagen, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said: “Once again, our high-visibility presence and patrols as part of Operation Checkpoint have sent a strong message to criminals who use road networks to who target rural areas: their illegal activity will not be tolerated.

“Checkpoint also lets us build on our good relationships with neighbouring forces, allowing us to share resources and information to clamp down on criminals, wherever they are from and wherever they are going.

“The support we get from residents in rural areas continues to be fantastic, in particular our Mobile Rural Watch volunteers. I can’t praise their dedication enough. They give up their own time to work alongside the police, and help protect their communities from harm – making a huge contribution to the fight against rural crime.

“Our proactive work will continue, keeping our rural communities safe, and making it extremely difficult for criminals.”

To find out more about Rural Watch schemes in North Yorkshire, contact your local Neighbourhood Policing Team, or Rural Taskforce officer, by phoning 101.