Another arrest after police work with neighbouring force to tackle quad bike theft

A man is in custody today after a pursuit involving a stolen quad bike.

His arrest is one of many in recent months following a spate of quad bike thefts in rural areas of the county.

Officers responded to calls about a stolen quad at a rural address in Richmondshire late last night.

Several officers were already in the area conducting patrols due to the recent spate of thefts, so they were able to arrive at scene and start area searches within minutes.

Nine minutes after it was reported stolen, two local officers saw the vehicle near Barton, heading towards the County Durham border.

They tried to pull it over but it failed to stop and disappeared into the night.

Fortunately North Yorkshire Police been closely with neighbouring police forces, with joint operations to tackle rural crimes like this one, and colleagues in Durham Constabulary stopped a car which is believed to be linked to the offence.

The driver has been arrested on suspicion of burglary and his car was seized as it is suspected of being used in a crime.

He has also been arrested on suspicion of an attempted quad bike theft at a large rural property with stables in Richmondshire the night before.

The man in his 30s from Darlington is currently in North Yorkshire Police custody and investigations are ongoing.

A force spokesman said: “North Yorkshire has been hit hard by quad bike thieves in recent months. Some thieves have come into the county from West Yorkshire, Teesside and County Durham.

“We’ve responded with a large-scale operation that involves 24-hour patrols in key areas, joint deployments with neighbouring police forces and developing specific criminal intelligence.

It’s resulted in numerous arrests in recent months, including this one.”