PROPERTIES across Exmoor have been visited by police as part of a cross-border crackdown on rural burglaries from farms and outbuildings in both Somerset and Devon.

Local officers teamed up with their colleagues from Devon and Cornwall Constabulary to visit farms and houses around the district to identify insecure properties, unlocked barns, remote buildings and insecure and visible farm machinery.

Officers have also run vehicle stop-checks to monitor suspicious activity, gather intelligence and identify stolen vehicles and other items as part of the ongoing Operation Grasp.

The operation, which has been running for the last 12 months, is aimed at reducing the theft of tools, farm vehicles such as quad bikes, plant and farm machinery and other valuable items from rural homes and farms.

During a special day of action, officers from the Exmoor neighbourhood team visited over 20 farms.

They found several insecure farms with mini diggers, tractors, large gas bottles, trailers, horse boxes, quad bikes, scrap metal, tools, site offices containing computers and personal data, sheds and various building materials on display and insecure.

In some cases they also found they had easy access in to yards, open barns and that they could often be on-site for some time without being approached by residents, owners or labourers.

PC Nick Wood from Dulverton police station said: "A lot of the farms were well secured with property stored properly, sturdy doors on barns and good quality locks in use.

"However, some of the properties we visited were insecure, machinery and tools were left unattended and visible and we were able to spend time in and around the yards unchallenged.

"Farm and plant machinery are often of high-value, so we would encourage farmers to make sure they are secured when not in use.

"Even simple measures like closing barn doors and fitting PIR security lights can make a difference."

Having identified vulnerable farms and equipment, officers contacted the owners, walked them round their properties and offered crime prevention advice.

Arrangements were also made for officers to security mark property, fit locks and alarms and sign farms up to Rural and Farm Watch Schemes.

A police spokesman said the operation had already had a positive effect but officers were still encouraging residents across Exmoor and West Somerset to take part in the various crime prevention initiatives.

Rural Watch addresses not only rural crime prevention but also crime detection.

The scheme was developed five years ago as tools stolen from farms and later recovered by police were often fairly generic in their appearance, making it difficult to trace their owners.

It has also proved to be a very successful way of helping neighbourhood policing teams meet people living in isolated areas and making officers aware of vulnerable property so they can target their patrols accordingly.

"The scheme is proving really successful and so far over 150 farms have joined the initiative and I would certainly encourage anyone who isn't signed up to contact us," Mr Wood said.

"The results are proven. We had a case earlier this year when a stolen Mule 4x4 was returned to its owner before they even realised it was missing.

"We were also able to arrest a man who was charged not only with the theft of the vehicle but also a number of other non-dwelling burglaries."

Any local farms and smallholdings can take part and the simple methods of property marking allow officers to reunite property with its owners.

Officers visit farms and mark items with the owner's postcode, a full inventory of the property is recorded, including serial numbers, make, colour and distinguishing marks, which is then held on a secure police database.

Pictures are taken and given to the owner for their records and weatherproof posters are given to the farmer to show property on the farm is marked and traceable by the police, acting as a deterrent to would-be thieves.

"It is relatively easy to put some simple crime prevention measures in place to stop opportunistic thieves and deter any would-be burglars from visiting your property," Mr Wood added.

Police issued the following advice to rural homeowners and businesses:

l Make sure that all vehicles are immobilised or kept securely in a locked building. If vehicles are left in fields, make sure they are not near roads which could provide thieves with a quick and easy escape route.

l Keep farm boundaries in a good state of repair so that fences and gates cannot be moved easily. Use capping hinges on gates to prevent their removal.

l Brand livestock to make sure they are easily identifiable as yours.

l If you can, install CCTV so you can monitor activity both near to your home and in the outlying parts of your farm.

l Use security lighting so that thieves can clearly be seen by neighbours and CCTV cameras and close gates in to yards and driveways.

l Make sure that valuable items are stored in secure buildings with good quality doors and use British Standard locks and windows, which cannot easily be accessed.

l Make sure all your property is marked with your postcode and house or farm number/name. You can have this done free of charge by signing-up to Rural Watch.

* Register your property for free on the Immobilise website, which is used by police to help locate stolen property, at http://www.immobilise.com">www.immobilise.com. Plant can also be registered on the National Plant and Equipment Register at http://www.ter-europe.org">www.ter-europe.org.