£3,500 quad bike stolen from Denholme driveway (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Man tells of concern over crime in rural area around Denholme after the latest in a string of thefts

11:30am Friday 10th February 2012 in News By Connor Flaherty

A man who had his £3,500 quad bike stolen from his home has expressed concern over crime in the rural area where he lives.

Joe Jennings, 59, from Denholme, was shocked when he discovered his bike had been taken from his driveway in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Mr Jennings said: “I can’t believe how they stole it. There’s a 4ft drop on one side of my drive and the bike was clearly out of view. They must have come on another day and seen it.

“It had been eased out past my car, it must have been a matter of inches. The more people know about these types of thefts the better.”

The bike, which was stolen from Mr Jennings’s home on Foster Park Road, is a blue Quadzilla 300e and the registration number is YJ58 KUW.

Mr Jennings said it was not the first time something had been stolen from his home. Two years ago, he had farming equipment stolen from a private container.

He added: “I had a lawnmower, which was a good £300. I had a hedge-trimmer which was also expensive. All in all, they stole about £2,000 worth of gear and I had no insurance for it.”

Mr Jennings, manager of Keith Lambert Cyclesport, in Main Street, Bingley, said CCTV had helped the shop and he revealed he planned to install cameras at his home following the latest incident.

He said: “We didn’t have any camera for the shop a few years ago, and windows would get broken every few months. But since we installed them, we’ve had no problems, really. I’m doing the same back home.

“Police said they’d immediately look into CCTV cameras going in and out of Bradford – but I have no hope.”

Rachel Gillbanks, from the National Farmers Union, said rural crime was a “pressing concern” among its members. We are working with the police to get crime prevention out there. But we urge farmers to report it as soon as they can.

She said: “It’s as simple as making sure things are locked away and out of sight.”

Over recent years, police have carried out a number of initiatives to tackle rural crime.

Following on from the huge success of the Farmwatch and Horsewatch scheme in the Worth Valley, police extended the scheme to the Bingley rural ward, which includes Denholme.

The scheme, designed to tackle rural crime, works via e-mail and text, sharing information between the police and the owners of farms and horses.

Anyone with information about the quad bike theft should call police on 101 or Crimestoppers, in confidence, on 0800 555111.