Officers find goods believed to have been stolen in rural burglaries

Officers who executed a warrant in Hartley Wintney last week uncovered a number of items they believe to have been stolen during burglaries across rural areas.

Officers from Thames Valley Police and Hampshire Constabulary’s specialist Country Watch team and Hart Neighbourhood Teams raided the land in Hulfords Lane on the morning of May 7.

They found a stable block, which is alleged to have been stolen from Wokingham and a ride-on lawn mower that is alleged to have been stolen during a burglary in Crondall. Other items recovered include power tools. Work is ongoing to reunite these items with their rightful owners.

We are however hoping to trace the owner of a Honda EM2300 generator, as per the image. If you have previously reported this item as having been stolen and can identify it, please get in touch by calling 101 and quoting reference 44190414291.

Hart Neighbourhood Inspector Jennifer Lovegrove said: “We want to reassure residents in the rural districts that offenders who try and carry out criminal activities in the countryside are being robustly targeted by police.

“Rural crime is a priority for us and we will continue to relentlessly pursue suspects and prevent them from using the road networks. If you see any suspicious vehicles or people, please let us know by ringing 101.

“As far as possible, keep high value items such as quad bikes, plant machinery or power tools secured and locked at all times or out of sight. Consider installing CCTV, tracker devices, automatic security lights and intruder alarm systems.

“The community are our eyes and ears and we encourage you to report all incidents as soon as you are able to. And if it’s happening there and then, always call 999.”

You can now report crime or suspicious activity online by visiting our website www.hampshire.police.uk or by clicking on this link https://www.hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/

Additionally there is a new facility to report Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB), using the following link: https://www.hampshire.police.uk/ro/report/asb/asb-b/report-antisocial-behaviour/

A 39 year old man from Yateley has been arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods. He has been released on bail while police enquiries continue.