Thieves carrying crowbars steal quad bike from farm in Hook

A farm has been broken into and a quad bike stolen in Hook.

Three suspects initially ran away when they heard the alarm go off in the outbuilding on Saturday night (2 January) at around 10pm but returned armed with crowbars.

They then started behaving aggressively towards the victim who returned into his home with his wife.

Two of the men remained outside the house but smashed the front door window, causing a cut to the woman's eye.

The third suspect broke into the outbuilding and stole a red Honda TRX500 quad bike.

Hampshire Police believe this incident is part of a series of similar incidents across rural areas in Hart district and beyond.

Officers are appealing to anyone who may have seen people acting suspiciously in the area on that night or if they saw a four by four (or Navarro style vehicle) that night.

It may have been towing the quad bike.

Police believe it is possible the suspects may have been at the location a couple of days before.

If you have any information call 101 and quote reference 44210001936.

Hampshire Police are warning people not to confront suspects but to dial 999 straightaway if a crime is taking place.

If you see a suspicious person or vehicle call 101 instead.

Neighbourhood Inspector Jen Lovegrove said:

“We have seen a series of burglaries of outbuildings that are occurring overnight and in the early hours of the morning in rural districts across Hart.

“The suspects appear to be targeting farm machinery, quad bikes and All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and anything of value such as power tools.

“This is not something that is unique to Hart District, it is also happening across county borders and across the UK.

“I would like to assure residents and landowners that we take this type of crime extremely seriously.

"We are conducting patrols in rural areas but we would urge anyone to ensure as far as possible to secure and alarm their buildings and property mark their equipment.

“You can do this for free

“As a bare minimum, all farmers should ensure that the keys are removed and overnight your quad bike is in a locked shed.

"Where possible all the available options should be explored around marking and our PCSOs are trained to provide you with the information about the available marking schemes.

“Where trackers are fitted it is a significant help to the police investigation. Recently, where a tracker has been fitted it has resulted in two arrests.

“We also need the rural community to be our eyes and ears. If you see anything suspicious please report it via 101 or 101 emails."

A specialist rural crime reporting line is available to those who want to report suspicious activity anonymously by calling 0800 783 0137.