Special Police unit to combat rural and agricultural crime and boost isolated North Herts communities and businesses
Date of alert:
Thursday, 8 September 2022
Crime Ref:
Force:
Hertfordshire Constabulary
Rural businesses and communities are being reminded that there is a dedicated police unit to tackle crime in the countryside.
The Rural Operational Support Team (ROST) have specialist skills, equipment and vehicles to address the concerns of those living in the more remote areas of Hertfordshire.
Addressing members of the Independent Business Advisory Group, set up by the Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire, Sgt Ryan Hemmings explained the wide range of crime types they cover.
This includes farm and agricultural crime and theft of machinery; game sports and wildlife crime such as hare coursing and poaching; heritage crime including theft or damage to special sites; detecting victims in isolated rural locations of domestic violence, serious sexual offences, human trafficking and modern day slavery plus organised crime and smaller scale flytipping.
The team has a Polaris utility vehicle and quad bikes which can be deployed where conventional police vehicles cannot go. These are often called in to deal with hare coursing or when communities have reported nuisance motorbike users.
