January 21, 2011 9.48 am This story is over 158 months old

Say goodbye to the police tractor

Sayonara: Lincolnshire Police will retire their ‘striped up’ tractor at the end of January.

Lincolnshire Police will retire their ‘striped up’ tractor at the end of January. The five-tonne tractor’s aim was to help the force tackle rural crime.

The tractor was loaned to the force by manufacturer John Deere and the National Farmers’ Union paid for it to be ‘striped up’ in Police livery, complete with blue light.

Its purpose was to support Lincolnshire Police’s initiative to tackle rural crime and in the recent cold weather, the tractor was put to “unexpected good use”.

Police say their striped up tractor was the “star attraction” at numerous agricultural shows, farmers’ markets and rural events across the county.

Chief Inspector Phil Vickers, who implemented the tractor campaign, recalled last September, when the tractor featured on the BBC Countryfile programme in a special report on tractor theft.

“We have seen a significant increase in the number of local farmers joining Farm and Country Business Watch”, Vickers explained.

“Also, the tractor has been so successful in promoting the use of security tagging and tracking devices that our colleagues in neighbouring forces have borrowed it for their agricultural events.

“We shall be very sorry to see it go,” Vickers added.

Source: Lincolnshire Police