Farmers in Gloucestershire have virtually had to resort to sleeping with their quad bikes to ensure they don’t get ‘lifted’ by opportunistic thieves targeting the county’s softer security rural underbelly.
But the county's NFU has made life more difficult for would-be thieves by introducing a crime-busting initiative that aims to get more than 70 per cent of the county's quad bikes 'micro-chipped'.
The initiative was launched at the county's second rural crime conference, which was held at Hartpury College, Gloucester. It was attended by Assistant Chief Constable Ivor Twydell and opened by out-going county chairman John Tingey with closing remarks from incoming chairman Charles Mann. PC John Palfrey gave an update on the rural and environmental crime initiative.
The 'sleep with it or CESAR it' campaign will offer a 30% discount off the normal price of the CESAR Datatag registration and marketing scheme for quad bikes from 1 February to 30 June 2012.
According to a recent NFU Mutual insurance survey of their agents in the county, quad bikes topped the list of items targeted by rural criminals in Gloucestershire and came second only to power tools in a national ‘top ten’ of stolen goods.
"We have made great progress in combating rural crime since our inaugural conference last year when we focussed on encouraging farmers to provide better information to the police," said Mr Tingey who has made fighting rural crime one of his key campaigns.
"The theft of quad bikes has troubled me particularly, so I’m delighted we have been able to launch this subsidised CESAR scheme so farmers will have an option other than having to sleep with them!"
Pictured with a police quad bike are John Calver, NFU Mutual (l); John Tingey (on bike); ACC Ivor Twydell (r); PC Jon Palfrey (in front of bike).
For more information about the CESAR scheme, visit its website
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