POLICE in Wiltshire have a new weapon to use in the fight against rural crime.

The Mavic 2 drone, which has been funded by the National Farmers Union and Historic England, will be used to help find criminals on farm land, gather evidence of crime, and capture the full extent of criminal damage.

Force Operations Superintendent Phil Staynings, who oversees the Rural Crime Team, said: “The force is always looking for new ways to embrace technology to support operational policing and we are really grateful for this support and funding from our partners.

“Whereas the wider force already has drone capability, this new drone will be another excellent tool for tackling criminality that specifically affects our isolated rural communities.

“Being able to cover large areas of land quickly means there will be nowhere for criminals hide.

“The drone is going to really help our officers disrupt the criminals that plague our farms and rural businesses, such as hare coursers. The message is clear - rural crime will not be tolerated in Wiltshire.”

Figures from NFU Mutual show the cost of rural crime in Wiltshire is around £800,000 a year with that figure steadily rising.

Wiltshire Police receive about 400 reports of poaching (including hare coursing) every year.

NFU Wiltshire chairman Mark Jeffery said: “This sophisticated equipment that the NFU has given to the rural crime team in Wiltshire will allow the police to react quickly to incidents in the countryside and gather better, more useful evidence to help bring criminals to justice.”

Mark Harrison, the head of Heritage Crime Strategy for Historic England, added: “We are pleased to provide a grant towards this new drone which will extend and enhance the ability of officers to prevent crime in rural areas and will help them to identify offenders and their vehicles. The use of a drone will provide a powerful tool in the fight against heritage crime and sends a clear message that it will not be tolerated in Wiltshire.”