Rushcliffe Op Reacher officers recovered a farm vehicle after it was reportedly stolen from a garage.
A vulnerable local farmer in his 80s reported that his vehicle was taken after his garage was broken into.
Thieves forced entry into an outbuilding through a side door and stole the quadbike, leaving the victim without any transport to get around his land.
Reacher officers recovered the vehicle whilst on a proactive Operation Sahara patrol which cracks down on criminals who commit crimes in rural areas and steal off-road vehicles from outbuildings, farms and businesses in Nottinghamshire.
The Polaris Ranger was found hidden out of view at the bottom of Oakhill Lane in East Bridgford the next morning. Officers found the owners name on the piece of paper in the vehicle and made contact with the farmer.
Neighbourhood Inspector Craig Berry praised his team in finding the vehicle as part of Op Sahara. He said: “There has been an ongoing problem with overnight thefts in and around the rural villages across Rushcliffe.
“Our main concern has been theft and burglary of machinery, off road vehicles and power tools taken overnight from rural villages and locations including farms and businesses.
“The Rushcliffe Reacher team and the local neighbourhood officers continue to work hard to solve this problem and we are asking for local residents to support in reporting your concerns to us.
“Local officers have responded to a recent increase in theft from rural villages, farms and businesses.”Police are now appealing for anyone who saw anything suspicious to come forward.
Police Constable Richard Wilkinson is leading the investigation. He said: “Officers were called to Main Road in Willoughby-on-the-Wolds following the burglary and are appealing to anyone with any details to help with our enquiries.
“The victim is clearly deeply upset following the incident and has been targeted before, but obviously he’s delighted we have reunited him with his vehicle so he can get around his land.
“We are investigating into the garage break and appealing to anyone who has any information to come forward. If you saw anything suspicious between 10pm on 17 May and 7am on 18 May then please call 101, quoting incident number 113 of 18 May 2021.”
