Police put brakes on fuel thieves as thefts fall dramatically

Fuel theft in Bassetlaw has fallen a staggering 87% thanks to a crackdown on criminals causing misery to businesses and residents.

Throughout July officers continued taking the fight to rural criminals and thanks to countless hours of intelligence and targeting known hotspot areas Bassetlaw has seen a dramatic decrease of 87% in July compared to the previous month.

The Operation Reacher team carried out multiple operations throughout the night and into the early hours of the morning resulting in three arrests and over 1,000 litres of suspected stolen fuel seized.

The team helped by Neighbourhood policing officers and the road policing unit also seized multiple quadbikes – even deploying the stinger to stop one quad in its tracks.

Fuel theft is an issue that affects farmers, rural properties, businesses, and motorists with thieves also sometimes using weapons to scare drivers into letting them steal fuel.

Tackling rural crime and keeping rural communities safe remains a priority for Bassetlaw officers.

Inspector Hayley Crawford, District Commander for Bassetlaw, explained how enforcement action and running operations like this are key to not only arresting criminals but also disrupting offenders.

Insp Crawford said: “Fuel theft was something that was bringing misery for businesses and residents across the north of the county.

“But thanks to the determination, hard work, and teamwork of not just the neighbourhood team but the Bassetlaw Operation Reacher team, roads policing unit, intelligence officers, and members of the public coming forward, we’ve seen such a huge drop over the last few weeks.

“We’ve not only seized hundreds of litres of suspected stolen fuel and barrels we suspect of being used in the thefts, as well as siphoning equipment and a number of quad bikes.

“We’re listening to our communities, and we will continue to do so – operations like this won’t stop, we will continue taking the fight to rural criminals and disrupting their criminal activity.

“If you have any information on fuel thefts or other crime taking place in your area please get in touch with us or make an anonymous report– your knowledge could help us identify and arrest more criminals blighting our communities.”

If you have information on crime happening in your area call 101, or in an emergency always dial 999.

You can also make an anonymous report to Crimestoppers by calling 0800 555 111.