More than £300,000 worth of suspected stolen machinery has been seized in a large-scale police operation across Gloucestershire and Herefordshire, leading to the arrest of six individuals.
The operation, known as Operation Alchemy, involved the execution of six warrants at various farms and commercial premises. The warrants took place in Ledbury, Herefordshire, and the Gloucestershire locations of Pendock, Staunton, Redmarley, and Stroud.
In Pendock, officers recovered ten items of suspected plant machinery, including excavators and dumper trucks. Among these was a dumper truck reported stolen in Cardiff on the same morning. A man in his 50s was arrested on suspicion of theft, and a man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of motor vehicle theft; both have since been released on police bail.
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Further seizures included ten additional machines such as excavators, dumper trucks, and a stolen car from a site in Redmarley. In Staunton, a suspected stolen tractor and car were recovered, resulting in the arrest of a woman in her 50s on suspicion of fraud by false representation and a man in his 20s on suspicion of fraud and forgery; both have been released under investigation.
A roller thought to have been stolen from a commercial premises in Stroud was also recovered. Additionally, in Pendock, four items of suspected stolen plant machinery and a suspected stolen car were seized.
A woman in her 30s was arrested on suspicion of handling stolen goods at an address in Eastnor, Ledbury, and has been released on police bail. Meanwhile, a 35-year-old man arrested at a Redmarley site has been charged with handling stolen goods, specifically a dumper truck valued at £18,000. He was due to appear at Kidderminster Magistrates' Court.
This joint operation was carried out by Gloucestershire Police, West Mercia Police, the National Construction & Agriculture Theft Team (NCATT), British Transport Police, the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit (SWROCU), the Organised Immigration Crime Domestic Taskforce (OICDT), Leicestershire Police, Warwickshire Police, Immigration Enforcement, and the Environment Agency.
Inspector Dan Wakeford of Gloucestershire Constabulary highlighted the significant impact of rural crime, stating, “Crime can have a huge impact on those living and working in our rural communities. We want to make our whole region a hostile environment for those taking part in rural, wildlife and heritage crime. Rural crimes are often under reported. Our hope is that operations like this will help our rural communities feel empowered, recognised and confident in the police.”
Inspector Billy Keys of West Mercia Police said, “Wednesday’s strike day targeted organised criminals who operate in our rural communities, and I’m delighted it resulted in six arrests and a large amount of plant machinery and vehicles seized, including some that had been stolen the same morning. This was thanks to a well-planned and co-ordinated police and multi-agency approach that brought all skills and resources together. We will continue such work in the future to protect people and businesses from criminality in rural areas. As well as the successes achieved, days of action like Operation Alchemy also cause disruption to suspected criminal gangs and evidence gathered will support future investigations for the police and our partner agencies.”
Superintendent Andrew Huddleston, Head of NCATT, added, “Op Alchemy has supported NCATT’s ongoing efforts to tackle organised criminal groups involved in stealing high-value agricultural and construction plant equipment across the UK. This operation was not just about protecting valuable commercial assets; it was also about confronting organised crime gangs who exploit our rural areas and cause harm to the communities who live there.”