It is believed that properties on Winterfold and Pitch Hill were targeted, including the home of Guitarist Eric Clapton.
However, Social Media is playing its part, and residents in the rural villages are capturing number plates and even pictures of thieves and potential thieves.
A message from Waverley’s Leader, Paul Follows:
More than 75 vehicles were stopped and five seized last weekend as part of our latest intensive action to combat rural crime in Surrey.
In the third operation of its kind, over 40 officers were deployed across Waverley on Saturday, 17 May, including a specialist stolen vehicle examiner, drone pilots and 4×4 drivers.
The operation had several objectives. Central to these concerns were the issues raised by members of our community, including burglary and theft of plant machinery, horse trailers, and livestock, anti-social behaviour, weapons offences, poaching, and drink driving.
Throughout the night, our Rural Crime and Safer Neighbourhood Teams visited several farms and rural locations in person, alongside widespread proactive marked and unmarked patrols. This resulted in:
• Three arrests
• Five vehicles were seized – including a stolen car which led to the recovery of poaching equipment, a catapult and a machete.
• 75+ vehicles or persons stopped
• Six farms were visited with drone flights to check for any poaching or theft offences.
• Engagement with rural communities to answer questions, offer crime prevention advice and gather intelligence about criminality in their areas.
As part of the operation, 45 officers were also hosted by a farm in Mole Valley on Friday, 16 May, for a dedicated rural crime education session.
Chief Inspector Chris Tinney, rural crime lead for Surrey Police, said:
Op Phoenix is now a staple part of Surrey Police’s fight against rural criminality. We will continue to carry out both these large-scale operations alongside more minor, more niche, proactive operations to keep our community safe.
“My plea to our communities is to please continue to report not only crimes, but crucially any suspicious behaviour, as that provides a fantastic opportunity to disrupt and prevent offending, especially when you have video/CCTV footage.
“Please submit this online through the Suspicious Activity Portal, where we guarantee every piece of footage will be reviewed for intelligence or evidence opportunities.”
Here’s the link to help Surrey Police fight crime.
All positive lines of enquiry are being investigated, and officers are patrolling the area around Cranleigh and other villages when possible.
For advice on protecting your home from burglary, please visit the crime prevention pages on our website: https://orlo.uk/4oLlp
Please ensure you report any crimes or suspicious incidents to us. In a non-emergency, you can call 101, report via live chat on our website (https://orlo.uk/3JADS) or send a private message here on social media. In an emergency, where a crime is in progress or life is in immediate danger, please call 999.
You can also submit any video footage (such as CCTV, dashcam, or smart doorbell footage) and photographs which show suspicious activity via our suspicious activity portal. The portal is for circumstances where no crime is being reported, but the suspicious behaviour could be related to a burglary, theft of a vehicle, etc. Please see the following link for more information: https://orlo.uk/gXPVd