North Yorkshire Police - We're taking the lead in Rural Crime
North Yorkshire Police - We're taking the lead in Rural Crime
North Yorkshire Police have set their sights on rural criminals. This unique squad of officers are tackling issues head on and dealing with everything from Machinery thefts to livestock offences. We speak to PCSO Matthew Lewis;
North Yorkshire Police have set their sights on rural criminals. This unique squad of officers are tackling issues head on and dealing with everything from Machinery thefts to livestock offences. We speak to PCSO Matthew Lewis;
Press Office
Hi Matty, Thanks for taking the time to talk with us. Let's start with how long have you been a police officer?
PCSO Matty Lewis
We're happy to! I have worked for North Yorkshire Police for eight years now. I started my career as a “Safer Neighbourhood” PCSO in the Acomb area of York, an urban estate bordering onto rural York. When I heard NYP were starting a Rural Taskforce, I couldn’t wait to apply!
Press Office
Great, we are in safe hands then. How many of you are there in the team?
PCSO Matty Lewis
We are a team of 7 PCs, 7 PCSOs, a Sergeant, an Inspector and a few in vital roles behind the scenes. It’s quality not quantity, bear in mind!
Press Office
Quality does win. What are you doing differently as a taskforce?
PCSO Matty Lewis
It does indeed! We are the national lead on Rural Crime and ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition). This means we are red hot on dealing with rural crime robustly, and using ANPR technology to hunt down travelling criminals, who target the more vulnerable, rural and isolated parts of North Yorkshire, and bring them to justice.
Press Office
How are you connecting with those who may be isolated in rural communities?
PCSO Matty Lewis
We have recently trialled a Rural Taskforce Roadshow, and we attend all our big agricultural shows in North Yorkshire. That way, it has the feel that “we come to you”, and residents of rural communities who may have previously been hesitant to pass any issues to us, are in a better position to approach us.
Press Office
What campaigns do you use to raise awareness?
PCSO Matty Lewis
We are currently running the ‘Call It In’ campaign, encouraging the public to contact us through the appropriate channels to report anything they deem to be “not quite right”. Sometimes, something that might seem insignificant can be a big piece of the jigsaw for us!
PCSO Matty Lewis
Press Office
So, you're approaching your first year anniversary. How successful do you think it has been?
PCSO Matty Lewis
It’s hard to gauge success, but in the first year we have made over 100 arrests, seized more than 50 vehicles, and summonsed countless offenders to court for wildlife crime. One of our recent successes has led to a man being sentenced to a year in prison for breaking into vehicles in a rural village. Crucially, a recent online poll suggested more than half those who took part felt safer in their rural community as a result of our efforts this year. That’s great to hear, but we will only work harder to keep our status as the safest county in the UK to live, and increase public confidence in rural policing.
Press Office
That's great, once again thank you for speaking with us. How can people connect with you?
PCSO Matty Lewis
It's my pleasure. We are also keen to use social media and work with any media who have connections to rural communities – such as Farmland Magazine! Check us out @NYPYorkSelbyRTF on Twitter, or North Yorkshire Police Rural Taskforce on Facebook.