POLICE officers have been lent a tractor to help them tackle rising rural crime.

The 3.5-tonne Zetor Proxima has been enlisted as a promotional tool to try and drive down crime in the countryside and will be unveiled at the Dorset County Show on Saturday.

The 85 horsepower tractor is being used as a display piece at public events as part of Operation Countryside.

Les Fry, Dorchester and Sherborne Neighbourhood Inspector, said: “We will be displaying it at shows and events in Dorset where we aim to engage with rural communities to make sure they do everything possible to reduce crime and make themselves less likely to become victims of rural crime.

“We hope this partnership will bring the community’s attention to the increasing cost of rural crime.

“And we want the support of rural communities to help combat criminals in their areas.

“Crimes such as theft of lead, scrap metal, heating oil and diesel are on the increase as fuel prices rise.”

The tractor will be used to promote the Stop That Thief and Stop That Oil schemes.

The Stop That Thief scheme was originally launched by Bridport police and the West Dorset branch of the National Farmers Union in 2007 to prevent thefts from rural businesses by using mobile burglar alarm systems.

Under the Stop That Oil scheme officers supply domestic oil tank owners with details of OFTEC (Oil Competency Scheme Certification) registered oil tank installers and alarm fitters.

The tractor – complete with flashing blue lights – has been loaned to the police by the company Zetor UK free of charge and Insp Fry is hoping it can grab people’s attention.

He said: “Through Operation Countryside we hope to encourage people to take all the crime prevention steps that they can such as asset marking and using tracking devices.

“People should also consider installing CCTV where appropriate and sign up to initiatives such as Stop That Thief and Stop That Oil.

“We also want to encourage people to consider calling the police should they see any suspicious activity.”

Robert Lasseter, NFU Dorset county chairman, said: “Rural crime is up by 17 per cent and tractor theft by eight per cent.

“This exciting initiative is about raising awareness of self-help schemes.

“It’s a really good example of the rural community coming together to jointly combat the criminal element of society.”