Police and Crime Commissioner Funds Quad Bike and Agricultural Vehicles Initiative

Cumbria’s Police and Crime Commissioner, Peter McCall, funded Country Watch Eden with £2500 to reduce the cost of 20 security instalments on agricultural vehicles from £150 to £50. The funding is in response to the rise in quad bike thefts across Cumbria to help protect rural vehicles.

The £2500 has been given through the property fund, an initiative that sees money that has been seized from criminals distributed across community projects with the aim of making local communities safer.

Country Watch Eden hosted an event on Wednesday 6 November at Kirkby Stephen Auction Mart. P.V. Dobson, an agricultural equipment company based in Cumbria, fitted quad bikes, tractors and combine harvesters with the CESAR security system. The system aims to make stolen vehicles easier to identify and easier to return to the rightful owner.

Peter McCall, said: ““Country Watch Eden have done a fantastic job at highlighting the importance of securing rural vehicles.

“Recently in Cumbria, there has been a spate of quad bike thefts so it’s imperative that we work together as a community to help reduce these thefts.

“We can do this by encouraging our family, friends, neighbours and colleagues to make sure their vehicles are secure and locked away when not in use, have our vehicles security marked and report anything that looks suspicious to the police. 

“This is a perfect initiative for the property fund to give money towards and hopefully those who attended the event feel that their property is now safer.

“I would encourage any farmer, rural business or anyone that owns a large, agricultural vehicle who did not attend the security marking event to still look in to securing their property.

“Every little extra helps and together we can deter criminals from targeting Cumbria’s rural communities.”