A John Deere tractor which has been loaned to Devon and Cornwall Police has now been given a new name by a four-year-old competition winner.
On Saturday, the winner of the police’s ‘Name Our Tractor’ competition was revealed at the Woofstock Festival in Exeter
The winning name was suggested by four-year-old Reuben Mudge who came up with the name ‘Optimus Crime’ which is a nod to Optimus Prime - a popular character in the Transformers franchise.
The tractor has been loaned to Devon and Cornwall Police free of charge by local dealership Mason Kings. It will be rolled out at local agricultural shows over the summer as part of a wider effort to increase community engagement within the rural areas of Devon and Cornwall.
Rueben and his family were invited to Woofstock to officially unveil the new name and for Reuben to give it his personal seal of approval, by way of an enthusiastic thumbs up.
The distinctive police livery has already inspired lots of conversations with local farmers since its debut at the Devon County Show in May and its new name is sure to encourage even more.
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Devon and Cornwall Police constable Clarke Orchard said: “The response to the competition was fantastic! There were over 500 entries in total and plenty that would have made excellent names, so well done to Reuben for being a worthy winner.
“Optimus Crime will be used throughout the summer to engage with people who may not ordinarily find themselves speaking with the police.
“As we have found so far, one question from a passer-by about the name or the livery can develop into really important and meaningful conversations about how we can better tackle rural crime.
“It also allows our officers an opportunity to give advice on subjects such as protecting livestock and agricultural equipment.”
The next opportunity to see Optimus Crime is at the Britannia Royal Naval College Open Day in Dartmouth on July 15.
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