FARMERS took to the fields to defend their land from thieves in the first ever Thames Valley Police operation in partnership with the public.

Gamekeepers and landowners made up the 35-strong team of civilians who took part in Operation Festive on Wednesday night alongside 70 Thames Valley Police officers from South Oxfordshire and West Berkshire.

With rural crimes such as hare coursing and tractor theft on the rise across the force, the operation saw farmers stationed around the county on tractors, quad bikes and Land Rovers, acting as spotters for the police.

Using radios, mobile phones and a direct line to the control room, they could raise the alarm about any suspicious activity.

Superintendent Robin Rickard, below, who led Operation Festive, said the volunteers were briefed in the week up to the operation.

He said: “I want to say a great big thank you to everyone who gave up their time – without people like that it would be harder to detect and deal with rural crime.

“This is the first time we have done this type of operation with the public.

“We absolutely recognise that rural communities do feel isolated and there is a perceived vulnerability and we do know that there are criminals who target rural communities because of that.”

The operation could now pave the way for more large-scale crackdowns on crimes such as metal theft, burglary and hare coursing, he said.

Although rural crime is rising in the Thames Valley area, South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse have seen a slight decrease.

Despite this, police still received 263 reports of sheds and barns burgled, 1,393 reports of criminal damage and 1,093 of thefts from farms, rural businesses and homes in South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse.

Farm manager 55-year-old Nigel Lawrence, of Shirburn Farm, Watlington, took part and stayed out until 2.45am reporting suspicious activity to the police.

He said: “I think it’s a really good initiative.

“We drove around, kept an eye on things and if we saw anything suspicious backed off and made the appropriate phone calls.”

He added: “When the poachers get in they can do a 1,000 acre farm in 30 minutes and be gone.”

A 23-year-old man was arrested in the West Berkshire operation and has been bailed and in Chieveley a vehicle was seized by police.