Four Sheep Stolen in Austrey

Inc 143 of 2/11/21

Believed to have happened sometime on 30/10/21, unknown offender(s) have entered a field in Austrey and stole 4 sheep.

The sheep were later found in a vehicle in Birmingham on 31/10/21, sadly two had died and two were alive and are now back with the farmer.

A full investigation is underway by the Rural Crime Team.  If you saw anyone acting suspiciously in the area, or have any information that could help the police with their enquiries, possible CCTV or Dash-cam footage, please contact us by either advising us online at www.warwickshire.police.uk, by email to ruralwatch@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101 and referring to the incident number stated.  Alternatively you can contact the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111.

If you have sheep or livestock please check on a regular basis and do a count whenever possible.

If you live near fields with livestock in please be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the animals owner and police.

Advice to Farmers & Owners of Livestock

• Check stock regularly, at different times if possible, including early in the morning.
• If you see anyone acting suspiciously on/near the farm or in fields call 101 or 999 if a crime is in progress.  If the incident relates to a concern regarding sheep please state ‘Operation Hillman’ to the call operator.
• Where possible have livestock near to the farm and away from fields next to roads.
• Ensure all perimeters are secure and in good order and check them regularly. Lock gates and turn the hinges or cap them so that the gate cannot be lifted off.
• If an entrance is not used regularly consider putting an obstruction in front of it such as a tree trunk or concrete block.
• In the past offenders have utilised existing stock pens or hurdles in the field to catch the sheep. Consider if it is possible to remove these and use temporary hurdles which you can take with you when needed.
• Ask people living nearby and those who you know pass the field such as dog walkers, horse riders, cyclists, if water nearby anglers, to keep an eye on your livestock and let you know if they see anything of concern.   If they witness a crime to call the police straight away.
• Livestock signs as pictured below are available from Warwickshire Police, available by sending an email to carol.cotterill1@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk with your details.
• Put Rural Watch signs on the gates showing you are in a police run watch scheme and sign up to receive alerts so that you can be kept informed on incidents and any suspicious vehicles, this can be done by going onto our website www.warwickshireruralwatch.co.uk or sending an email to Carol as above.