Officers tackling crime in rural areas across Lancashire have received £8,500 in funding to deter thieves.

Through Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden’s Safer Lancashire Neighbourhoods Fund, the team, which covers rural areas of Preston, Chorley, South Ribble and West Lancashire applied for funding to purchase additional state-of-the-art marking equipment.

The funding has provided three new Pryor security marking machines which officers will use to mark vehicles, machinery and equipment in rural communities, making them less attractive to thieves and also enabling them to be identified should they be stolen and later recovered.

Items marked by the machines will also have a tamper-resistant label warning potential thieves that the property has been permanently marked.

Sergeant Darren Carr said: ‘These types of crimes have a massive impact on the rural community, especially for farmers who are not only affected by a loss of their vehicles, machinery and equipment, but they are also unable to carry out their daily business and unable to get the best yield out of crops. Therefore, it impacts the whole community.

“We are committed to working hard to upset rural criminality in all its forms and anyone who benefits from it and this equipment will enable us to continue to do this.” 

Police and Crime Commissioner for Lancashire, Andrew Snowden said: "Backing projects like these, that make a positive difference to the fight against crime in Lancashire and use ill-gotten gains taken from offenders, is exactly what my Safer Lancashire Neighbourhoods Fund is all about.

"I provided investment through the Police Innovation strand of my Safer Lancashire Neighbourhoods Fund, to support the fantastic work being done to protect rural communities and ensure every area of Lancashire can feel safe and protected.

"Our dedicated, successful rural task forces like the one in the south of the county are strengthening key relationships and building confidence, and any additional tools that help this work can only be positive."