More than 20 farms visited and 50 vehicles stopped in south Shropshire rural crime crackdown
Police in south Shropshire have stopped more than 50 vehicles, visited over 20 farms and made an arrest as part of a rural crime crackdown.
Operation Whitebeam, which has been running since 2020, sees safer neighbourhood teams carry out high visibility patrols across rural areas.
On Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, officers in south Shropshire visited more than 20 farms, stopped over 50 vehicles, engaged with more than 60 people, submitted 15 “pieces of good‑quality intelligence for future development”, and “processed several offence reports and vehicle defect rectification requirements”
A spokesperson said: “Officers from across the seven Safer Neighbourhood Teams in south Shropshire carried out another phase of Op Whitebeam.
“This proactive policing approach focuses on identifying and disrupting criminals intent on targeting our rural communities. Alongside enforcement activity, officers visited vulnerable locations to offer crime‑prevention advice, discuss protection tactics, and provide reassurance through high‑visibility patrols.
“We don’t post about every operation we run, but we do want our communities to know that this work is ongoing, consistent, and something we are fully committed to. We continue to work closely with partners and the public to prevent offences and keep our rural areas safe.
“As is often the case, while searching for one thing we encountered another: officers arrested a male for suspected drug driving and possession of cannabis, and one vehicle was seized. The team also supported response colleagues at several incidents throughout the evening.
“We had no reported burglaries during this time and it’s this high visibility then we know deters offending. We will persist in the fight against rural crime.”
