We’d like to thank people in the Droxford area who’ve helped us to identify stolen horse tack enabling us to return the items to them, because they had all been properly marked up. Officers from the Safer Neighbourhood Team at Bishops Waltham and our Country Watch Team recovered around £1,000 of stolen horse rugs and other equipment last month. Four officers spent many hours carrying out property searches, taking statements and identifying stolen items. A 21-year-old woman from Hayling Island was arrested and subsequently given a conditional caution. The recovery of the horse tack was only possible because of the diligence of members of the public who spotted their items online and then provided this information to us. Recovering equine equipment is a difficult task, but as this example shows with the right information from the public it is a real possibility. PC Radcliffe from the Country Watch Team said: “What assisted Hampshire Constabulary to recover this equipment so quickly was that is was all identifiable, as the owners had taken time to mark the rugs and other items in a unique way. “My advice would be to take the time to mark all of your tack in a permanent way, and to assess the security of where you store this equipment”. If you require advice on tack and equipment marking you can find out more information here: hampshire.police.uk/internet/asset/57fa1e89-edc1-4dbb-bb92-44e3b6b7e34O/938643%20-%20Countrywatch%20Equipment%20theft%20A5%204pg%20leaflet.pdf
Posted on: Fri, 30 May 2014 14:47:40 +0000