Police concerns over vehicle thefts and poaching on outskirts of Bristol

Over the past three months there have been 31 reported offences across the neighbourhood area

Concerns about vehicle theft and poaching have been raised by a Neighbourhood Policing Team (NPT) in an area on the outskirts of Bristol. The NPT for Boyd Valley, Emersons Green and Lyde Green updated its priorities in August which included tackling vehicle crime and reporting poaching and lamping in nearby fields.

Avon and Somerset Police confirmed that over the past three months there have been 31 reported offences across the neighbourhood area involving vehicle theft. The majority of reported cases involve taking items from a vehicle, however there have also been six reported offences of vehicle interference (which includes trying to break in and steal the vehicle or anything inside the vehicle).

The NPT said that there has also been one case of aggravated taking without consent (when the vehicle is taken without consent and driven dangerously). The NPT priority said that reports have included vans being broken into and tools stolen.

The priority said: “Thieves are looking out for unlocked vehicles and things to steal, and are finding easy pickings everywhere. Even if you are in a rush, take a moment to check whether you’ve locked your vehicle.

“Always remove any valuable items, even if it’s locked, criminals don’t care about damaging your vehicle. There have been reports about vans being broken into and tools stolen, most of the time, the alarms of the vehicle are not triggered. Do not leave high value tools or equipment in your vehicle, in order to avoid becoming a victim of crime.”

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Police also expressed concern for poaching and lamping taking place in fields near Marshfield and since the beginning of the year, received “several reports” of the rural crime. Poaching is the act of illegal hunting on land owned by someone else, whilst lamping is a method for hunting nocturnal animals at night using high-powered lights.

Avon and Somerset Police said: “One of the priorities for the Emersons Green and Boyd Valley NPT is rural crime. The area, while close to Bristol, is largely rural and we want to give attention to rural crime where lines of enquiry are more challenging to gather.

“Since the beginning of the year, we have had several reports of poaching and lamping taking place in the fields near Marshfield and, by making it one of our priorities, we hope to encourage members of the public on how to report this type of crime and what to look out for. While rural crime and vehicle crime are two of our neighbourhood policing team’s priorities at this time, this does not mean they will de-prioritise other crimes.”

Members of the public should report any incidents of rural crime by calling 999 if the incident is in progress or by calling 101 if after the event. You can also report an incident online.

The NPT advises the public to not approach anyone taking part in the incident and to not put themselves at risk, but to try and obtain as much information as possible, including:

• Location - consider using WHAT3WORDS
• What vehicles are involved? Including information on type and colour
• How many people are involved and any descriptions
• Any dogs or weapons used
• Any photo and video evidence

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