POLICE in rural East Dorset have dealt with 12 crimes – including break-ins and thefts – over the course of a fortnight.

On July 23, a business in Dorchester Road, Sturminster Marshall was raided.

A boat was stolen from the village the following day. It has since been found and returned to its owner.

A quad bike was stolen from Woodlands on July 25. Two dates later, on July 27, would-be burglars tried to force their way into a shed in Holt Wood.

A generator was taken from a van parked in Sixpenny Handley on July 30.

On August 3, another business in Sturminster Marshall was raided.

Two crimes were reported in the area the following day – a vehicle damaged by vandals, as well as damage to crops in Gussage St Michael.

Vandals also targeted a play park in Sixpenny Handley on August 5, and a garden wall in Witchampton on the same day.

Thieves tried to break into an outbuilding in Cranborne on August 6. A theft was reported in God's Blessing Lane. Wimborne on August 8.