Andy Huddleston, head of the National Rural Crime Unit, said he was also working with colleagues in Germany and France to crack down on the international theft of agricultural machinery
Two men have been charged and are due due to appear at court following the theft of high-value GPS units from across the North of England.
Lancashire Police said Aidas Cinga, 27, and Damantas Skeltys, 28, have been charged with conspiring to steal GPS units from a motor vehicle.
Both men, of no fixed abode, had appeared at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday (August 20) following the thefts of multiple high value agricultural GPS units from farms.
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They have been remanded in custody to appear at Preston Crown Court on September 16.
Officers from Lancashire, Cheshire, North Yorkshire, Humberside, and the National Rural Crime Unit had been involved in bringing the case forward.
According to the farming insurer NFU Mutual, GPS thefts had increased by 137% in 2023, costing farmers an estimated £4.2 million in the process.
Superintendent Andy Huddleston, head of the National Rural Crime Unit, said: "This was a collaborative effort between a number of forces to tackle what is International Organised Crime targeting UK farms, and we are also working with our law enforcement colleagues in France and Germany.
"We would ask farmers to remain vigilant and are grateful to the NFU Mutual who have assisted greatly in not just this investigation but also the wider tackling of GPS thefts across the UK."
Anyone with further information which could assist police enquiries have been asked to call 101.
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