Northamptonshire Police Arrest Male Following Investigation Into Illegal Sheep Butchery

We are pleased to advise the following.  Warwickshire Police have been working closely with Northamptonshire Police, Leicestershire Police and West Mercia Police since the incidents began re our Operation Hillman.

A man has been arrested as a police investigation into illegal sheep butchery continues.
Operation Stock is the Northamptonshire Police investigation into a number of reports of sheep being killed and illegally butchered across the county.
Yesterday, a 40-year-old Hampshire man was arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and theft as part of the investigation, which was launched after the first reports of illegal slaughter were received earlier this month.
Detective Inspector Johnny Campbell of Northampton CID, the senior investigating officer for Operation Stock, said: “We’re taking this fast-moving investigation very seriously with a dedicated team following a number of lines of inquiry into these awful crimes.
“One man arrested in connection with these incidents has been released under investigation, with inquiries ongoing as our investigators and the Rural Crime Team work tirelessly to bring those responsible to justice.
“We’re receiving lots of intelligence into CID regarding Operation Stock and I’d like to thank everyone who has reported suspicious activity to us. These reports are vital to our work and I’d urge anyone with potentially relevant information to contact us via 101 or online.”
Inspector Tracy Moore, rural crime lead at Northamptonshire Police, added: “We’re aware of the impact these dreadful incidents have had on our farming community, and our dedicated Operation Stock police patrols continue around the clock.