Rural burglary suspects arrested after stolen quad bike tracked by police

A large amount of stolen property has been recovered and suspects arrested after a series of rural burglaries near Skipton.

Buildings in Linton, Thorpe and Cracoe were targeted in the early hours of Tuesday 19 September. Property stolen included a red Honda quad bike, several bicycles and power tools. North Yorkshire Police published an appeal for information on Facebook, and began urgent enquiries.

The stolen quad bike was fitted with a vehicle tracker. With the support of West Yorkshire Police, it was followed to an address in the Hunslet area of Leeds. On arrival, officers located a parked white van with the stolen quad bike inside, as well as various power tools and other suspected stolen items. They will be reunited with their rightful owners.

Two men in their 30s in a nearby address were arrested in connection with the stolen property. They remain in custody as enquiries continue.

This week is National Rural Crime Action Week, which aims to raise awareness of the impact of rural crime nationwide. Throughout the week North Yorkshire Police's Rural Task Force and other teams have been engaging with local communities, and carrying out proactive enforcement activity, focusing particularly on tackling poaching, quad bike theft and rural burglary offences.

Sgt David Lund, of North Yorkshire Police's Rural Task Force, said: "The arrest of two suspects and the recovery of a large amount of suspected stolen property shows that rural criminals should expect a robust and immediate response.

"We know that crime such as quad bike theft and farm burglaries have a huge impact on rural communities, which is why we take all reports extremely seriously, and will put the resources in place to find and arrest offenders.

"The quick recovery in this case is in part thanks to the fact that the quad bike was fitted with a vehicle tracker. I'd urge all owners to consider installing technology like this, to ensure that we stand the best chance of recovering stolen property and bringing offenders to justice. Please visit our website and social media channels, where we regularly share rural crime alerts and security advice."

Update, 3.30pm: A third suspect, a man in his 40s, has been arrested in connection with the burglaries. He remains in custody at this time.