Dorset Police Rural Crime Team called to car crash

Dorset Police’s Rural Crime Team kept the region up to date with its activity on Saturday as part of a #RuralLIVE event.

The day began with a man being stopped for poaching following information received from the public.

Officers carried out checks and confirmed there were no poaching offences but found the man to be in possession of ammunition he had not declared to firearms licensing.

The ammunition was seized, and he was given a conditional caution.

The crash at Beacon Hill (Image: Dorset Police Rural Crime Team)

Rural crime officers then responded to a crash at Beacon Hill.

They helped to control traffic and minimise the impact to other users while waiting for the vehicle to be recovered.

No serious injuries were reported.

Officers also stopped a vehicle believed to be involved in scrap metal theft offences in the Blandford area.

It was found to have 'a lot of' scrap metal in the back, and was seized under Section 34B of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.

Officers with the van in Blandford (Image: Dorset Police Rural Crime Team)

They then spotted and stopped a vehicle towing a trailer with an off-road quad in Blandford, as well as a Iveco van with a mini digger on a trailer.

Checks were conducted on both, and all came back fine.

A vehicle was stopped in the Spetisbury area too, after showing as being uninsured.

The officers issued a Traffic Offence Report to the driver to produce the relevant documents.

Also on Saturday, officers visited a man who had some tools stolen from a small holding in Motcombe, and a victim of a scrap metal theft.

Both were offered crime prevention advice.

An officer speaking with the victim who had tools stolen (Image: Dorset Police Rural Crime Team)

Patrols were carried out in the area of Morden following reports of poaching in recent weeks.

Rural mounted volunteers patrolled the areas of Ansty, Hilton, Godlingston Heath and Rempstone Forest.

They took details for a fly tipping offence and passed the details onto authorities, and closed gates which had been left open where livestock was being kept.

A report was received of ‘nighthawking’ in the Broadmayne area.

The holes left in the ground by 'nighthawking' (Image: Dorset Police Rural Crime Team)

Nighthawking is the illegal search for and removal of antiquities from the ground using metal detectors, without the permission of the landowners, or on prohibited land such as Scheduled Monuments.

Also reported was ‘ongoing anti-social behaviour’ at farms in the Crossways area.

Officers attended and five young people were located and moved off.

The incident was flagged with the local neighbourhood policing team for continued monitoring.