Major OCG disruption in Spalding

Two warrants have been carried out in Spalding as part of our major disruption of organised criminal group (OCG) activity in the south of the county.

Officers entered two sites simultaneously at 6.30am this morning, Tuesday 20 January, in the Evergreen and Clay Lake areas, as part of a targeted crackdown on agricultural plant, and other machinery and vehicle thefts across the county.

Two men, aged 21 and 20, have been arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to steal. They remain in custody for questioning.

During the enforcements officers seized vehicles and other property which is believed to have been stolen. Two cannabis grows were located containing an unspecified quantity of plants of varying maturity.

The officer co-ordinating the enforcements, Detective Inspector Rebecca Fowler from Boston and South Holland CID, said: “There have been a significant number of plant and other machinery and vehicle thefts across the county in recent months. The impact of these thefts on our rural communities has been considerable, both financially and emotionally. The financial burden and frustration these crimes cause is utterly unacceptable. We are committed to doing everything possible to bring those responsible to justice and to prevent further harm. 

We will continue working proactively with our partners to identify those responsible and ensure our communities are protected.”

This was a multi-agency operation with attendance from HMRC, the Environment Agency, Joint Waste Crime Team, Lincolnshire County Council Planning Enforcement and EMSOU (East Midland Special Operations Crime Unit). Support was also provided by the DWP, South Holland Planning and GAIN DT.

If you have any information or concerns, and have not already spoken with officers, please reach out. All information helps to build a better picture and enables us to target our resources most effectively. There are a number of ways you can get in touch:

- By emailing your local Neighbourhood Policing Team using the Spalding Town section of our website: https://www.lincs.police.uk/.../contact-us/our-priorities

- Directly with our officers at our various engagement opportunities

- By chatting with us while we’re on foot patrols

- Or anonymously, via the Crimestoppers website: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/.../give-information...

All intelligence is handled sensitively and confidentially. Together, we can continue to target organised criminal gang activity and protect our communities.

Incident 195 of 14 January refers

You can also read this release on our website.