A POLICE boss has spoken out to dispel the myth that all livestock rustlers raiding north Wales come from outside the region.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones believes that in many cases the culprits can be found closer to home – within the rural community itself.

According to Mr Jones, it’s clear the rustlers know what they’re doing when it comes to handling sheep and cattle.

The commissioner, who was brought up on a farm near Harlech, is urging rural dwellers to report any suspicious behaviour they see in the countryside.

Mr Jones was speaking during a visit to the mart in Dolgellau when the pioneering Rural Crime Team from north Wales met with their recently-established counterparts from the Dyfed-Powys force to celebrate forming a new partnership with them.

At the launch it was revealed that drones are now being used as a high-tech weapon to combat rural crime.

The news came as a new survey revealed that public confidence in the efforts of the north Wales team was riding high.

A poll conducted on Twitter revealed that 77 per cent of the people who responded felt that having a full-time designated Rural Crime Team increased public confidence in the police’s effectiveness to tackle offences in our countryside and farming communities.

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