Arrests in Seamer and Rillington as police forces unite to crack down on rural crime with Operation Galaxy

On Saturday May 30, officers from North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce joined forces with colleagues from Humberside Police, and members of volunteer watch schemes, for Operation Galaxy.

The operation targeted people committing crime in rural areas, using automatic number-plate recognition (ANPR), proactive stop checks and information from the local community.

At 11.30am, officers from the Rural Taskforce stopped a black Honda Civic that had driven through the Humberside area and into Seamer, near Scarborough. The driver, a 34-year-old man from Hull, was arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis – for which he was issued with a cannabis warning – and drug driving, for which he has been released under investigation while enquiries continue.

At 12.20pm, officers located a wanted man in a van in Rillington. He was arrested on suspicion of assault. Although he was later released with no further action, police were able to put in place measures to safeguard those involved in the original incident.

At 3.20pm, officers stopped a suspected stolen Ford Focus car on the A64 at Malton. It was seized on behalf of West Yorkshire Police, who will be conducting further enquiries.

In addition, officers:

stopped and offered advice to a number of off-road bikers in the Dalby Forest area,

stopped a vehicle at Foxholes, near Driffield, reported the driver for driving with no insurance, and seized the vehicle,

attended reports of a vulnerable person at Bempton Cliffs, south of Filey, and ensured they received the support they needed from medical professionals,

conducted proactive stop checks of rural vehicles and quad bikes on the North Yorkshire / Humberside ‘border’, and stop searches of people suspected of being involved in rural crime.

Sergeant Tim Wilson, of North Yorkshire Police’s Rural Taskforce, said: “This operation involved the Rural Taskforce working closely with Humberside Police colleagues, tackling rural criminality on the both sides of the ‘border’ between Scarborough and Ryedale in North Yorkshire, and Humberside.

“It was a very successful day, and we will be joining forces again in the near future.”

Police were supported during the operation by volunteers from watch groups.

In an emergency – for example, if a crime is in progress, or someone suspected of a crime is nearby – call 999. If you don’t need an emergency response, please report anything suspicious to police using the 101 number. Every piece of information helps Rural Taskforce officers build up a picture of countryside crime and could prove vital in bringing criminals to justice.