Police in Cumbria have set up a special operation to tackle livestock theft in the Allerdale area. The operation was established on 23rd December in response to a large number of incidents in the border region

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A Cumbria constabulary spokesperson said that "Over recent months [the] Constabulary has been called to deal with a number of incidents involving the theft of livestock across the Allerdale Rural Policing area and indeed the whole force."

Operation Ambient aims to highlight the issue of livestock theft and show a zero-tolerance approach to such thefts within Cumbria. Last year, police in the North-west announced that they would be conducting random checks to ensure that drivers transporting livestock had the correct paperwork in a bid to crack down on rustling.

Farming insurer NFU mutual revealed in August that livestock theft incidents have increased in the UK, against a trend of falling crime levels year-on year. The insurer said that economic conditions within the country and a perceived low risk - high payoff had attracted criminal gangs to livestock theft. The Cumbria Police spokesperson added, "Alongside this the financial impact [on farmers] is often hard to recover from when many are small businesses already facing significant financial pressures."

The Police force is encouraging farmers to be on high alert to any sort of suspicious activity and consider taking actions themselves to deter would-be thieves.

Farmers are advised to:

• Keep hedges, fences and gates in good repair to assist security and visibility.
• Be vigilant, make regular checks and encourage neighbours to report the presence of strange vehicles.
• If livestock is stolen, be sure to give police an accurate description.
• Make sure movement documentation for livestock is correct and up-to-date.
• Ear tags and horn brands can help to identify livestock. Freeze branding, hot branding or tattooing your postcode can also be carried out. Farmers are also advised to consider micro chipping or using dye in dip. 

Inspector Dennis Kelly, from Allerdale Rural Neighbourhood Policing Team, said, "Livestock theft has over recent times been an issue across the United Kingdom; we don't want Cumbrian farmers to be victims of this distressing crime. Regular checks of livestock is vital, we have had thefts reported to us that have happened sometime in the last six months. This makes it very difficult to conduct an investigation as evidence can be long lost."

He advised farmers, "If you are not already a registered Farmwatch member then please join the scheme. By… being vigilant we can work together to tackle it and protect this traditional Cumbrian industry."

Cumbria has a farm watch scheme and a community messaging service to help those in rural regions share information more rapidly. Any local police force can be contacted on 101, or 999 in case of an emergency.