Sheffield police: Gun and knife seized by police in wildlife crime crackdown
Two people are under investigation after police stopped a vehicle over suspected wildlife crime in Sheffield.
Officers from the Motorcycle and Rural Crime Team saw a high powered lamp shining from a car on Houndkirk Road on the moors near Ringinglow.
They found the occupants in hunting clothes with a loaded air rifle and scope, pellets and a lock knife.
The knife is a ‘designated offensive weapon’ and was seized, the gun was seized for testing and the duo in the car are under investigation.
The car was among several vehicles stopped and checked in an operation in the Ringinglow area involving the roads policing team, the Eastern Moors Partnership, RSPB and the National Trust.
A police spokesperson said it followed a spate of burglaries in the S11 area of Sheffield and regular reports of off-road vehicles causing damage to Houndkirk Moor, which is a site of special scientific interest.
The spokesperson added: “The aim was to target burglaries in the S11 area, where off-road bikes are being used as the mode of transport and also tackling the illegal use of off-road vehicles on Houndkirk Road.
“We will continue to run operations in this area of Sheffield to prevent and detect crime and provide community reassurance.”