The Crop Cop rolls into action across Devon and Cornwall
On Monday 6 July, Devon & Cornwall Police revealed the winner of its ‘Name Our Tractor’ competition at an assembly at a primary school in Mid Devon.
Back in May, Devon & Cornwall Police launched a competition offering children living in Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly the opportunity to name the new Force Tractor.
Almost 300 entries were received from children aged 16 or under and the winning name, selected by Chief Constable James Vaughan, was submitted by nine-year-old Hazel who came up with ‘The Crop Cop.
The John Deere tractor has been loaned to Devon & Cornwall Police, free of charge, by local agricultural machinery dealership Masons Kings and will be used as an engagement tool by the Rural Affairs team at agricultural shows and events across the region this summer.
PC Clarke Orchard - Force lead for Farm Machinery, Agricultural Plant & Agricultural Vehicle theft and the brains behind the tractor initiative - attended Hazel’s school to present her with an award during an assembly on Monday morning.
Hazel said “I called it Crop Cop because my Dad grew up on a farm and I wanted a name that sounded fun and fitted a tractor."
The distinctive police livery has been drawing crowds and inspiring conversations with local farmers since the tractor’s debut at the Devon County Show in May, and its new name is sure to encourage even more.
PC Clarke Orchard said: “The response to the competition was fantastic! There were almost 300 entries in total and several suggestions that would have made excellent names.
“On Monday, we revealed that Hazel was the winner of our competition with.
“The Crop Cop will be joining us throughout the summer to help us interact with members of the public and enable us to have important and meaningful conversations about how we can work with our communities to tackle rural crime.”
Dominic Burt, General Manager at Masons Kings, added: "The aim of our partnership with Devon & Cornwall Police was to support and stand in solidarity with our farming communities in the fight against rural crime.
“We are very proud of the response and the efforts of Devon & Cornwall Police on this campaign, and would like to pass on our congratulations to Hazel for coming up with the fantastic winning name, The Crop Cop.”
The next opportunity to meet Inspector Moors is at the Yealmpton Show on Wednesday 29 July.
To keep up to date with the Force Tractor, or for important Rural Affairs updates, follow the Rural Affairs team on Facebook: www.facebook.com/DCPoliceRural
Image gallery:
select image to see larger version