A Selby police officer dedicated to the fight against rural crime has been nominated for a national award.

PC Kevin Kelly, rural crime officer for the Selby District, has been put forward for the World Wildlife Fund wildlife enforcer of the year award by his Inspector and fellow rural officers.

The award recognises the outstanding work by individual wildlife crime officers throughout the UK.
¬Kevin is the embodiment of what a wildlife officer should be¬
All wildlife enforcement officers are eligible for the award including individuals from the police, HM Revenue and Customs, UK Border Agency, Natural England, the Countryside Commission for Wales, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Environment and Heritage Service for Northern Ireland and the Environment Agency.

PC Kelly's nomination follows his tireless efforts in setting up the hugely successful Operation Jumbo and engaging the rural communities of Selby District in the fight against wildlife and rural crime.

PC Kelly has also been an influential figure in encouraging fellow officers to join the campaign and has organised in-depth training days to provide his colleagues with the necessary skills to combat poaching and related criminality.

Inspector Richard Abbott, of Selby Rural Safer Neighbourhood Team, said: "Kevin has grown in his knowledge and enthusiasm for his role.

"He is truly inspirational with his enthusiasm bubbling over and becoming infectious. He has been the clear lead in Operation Jumbo, an operation that has now become the example to communities of best practice when dealing with rural crime.

"His networking with other agencies has brought additional resources to the district of Selby in times when money is tight.

"I feel that Kevin is the embodiment of what a wildlife officer should be. Let his example lead the way to others."

Operation Jumbo began in November 2009 after PC Kelly identified that residents, farmers and landowners in the rural areas of the district were suffering as a result of poaching, hare coursing, lamping and other related crime.

He discovered that incidents were often going unreported and with the help of PCSO Laura Simpson established the Rural Watch scheme to complement Operation Jumbo, and encourage residents to share information with the police.

The scheme now has over 300 members who are the 'eyes and ears' of the police and assist patrols during the action phases of Operation Jumbo.

Two week-long phases have been highly successful in combating rural crime and acting as a deterrent to cross-border criminals who visit Selby District to try and take advantage of the large areas of isolated farmland.

During the first two proactive stages the Operation Jumbo team made 25 arrests, reported nine people for summons and seized 12 vehicles. Officers also conducted 114 PACE searches, stop checked 331 vehicles and seized 12 dogs.

Further days of action are planned as the success of the operation grows and plans are in place to introduce Operation Jumbo across the rest of the North Yorkshire Police area. Other forces have also shown an interest in the initiative which has been hailed as the most successful ever in Selby District.