Spate of rural crime in North Herts costs thousands

A number of incidents, including thefts, breaking and entering and criminal damage, have been reported in villages within North Herts.

There are fears that a handful of number plate thefts will lead to further crime, and may be used to disguise vehicles’ identity when used in connection with crime.

There have also been cases where a rear windscreen has been removed from a vehicle, a car has had all its wheels taken and a property has been broken into and searched.

Areas which have been targeted include Offley, Tea Green, Breachwood Green and Kings Walden.

North Herts district councillor David Barnard, chairman of the council’s southern rural committee, said: “As far as I’m concerned, the only reason people would steal number plates off a car is to commit another crime.

“Clearly, there are things going on, and it would be good to make the public more safety conscious.

“We at North Herts District Council have just bought four safety cameras to put in the countryside. That’s to go with those that we have already got. Maybe that will act as a deterrent.”

Another victim had the computer system from his combine harvester stolen, affecting his ability to harvest crops.

“The computer is only good for that combine harvester, which is now only good for scrap,” added Cllr Barnard.

“That’s �10,000 worth of equipment gone there. It’s affected the poor owner, because there is only a small window of time for harvesting. It’s just awful.”

The incidents are all being investigated by Herts Police.

A spokesman from the force said: “We are continuing to investigate these crimes and are continuing to patrol rural areas as a deterrent to these types of crimes.

“Hertfordshire Constabulary is one of the leading police forces in the UK at tackling rural crimes and supporting rural communities, we will continue to work with and build on our already strong relationships with the rural communities of North Herts.”