Following the loss of five quad bikes in the Hawes area in just ten days, North Yorkshire Police have deployed a dedicated rural task force. 'Operation Flock' uses bait vehicles and increased night-time patrols. Inspector Greg Wilkinson warned that these thefts are often carried out by organised gangs who use the remote "green lanes" to bypass main road CCTV. Farmers are being offered free "dot-peen" security marking at Hawes Auction Mart this Saturday to help make stolen equipment "too hot to handle."
Source: North Yorkshire Police