The second in a series of rural crime surveys has been launched to gain further insight into what farming and rural communities think about policing in the countryside and crime.
Crime continues to be a key issue throughout the countryside but the extent of it is only part of the problem.
For many people in rural areas, whether they have fallen victim to crime or not, the fear of crime alone can have a damaging effect on their mental health.
Last year, the Countryside Alliance Rural Crime Survey received over 8,000 responses, giving rural campaigners a valuable insight into the thoughts and feelings of those who live and work in the countryside.
47% of the 8,000+ who responded to our 2020 Rural Crime Survey thought that the police in their area didn’t take rural crime seriously and 38% said that they have had a crime committed against them in the last 12 months – with one in four of those not being reported to the police.
The alliance want to see how those attitudes and feelings have changed in the past year.
Sarah Lee, Director of Campaigns and Policy for the Countryside Alliance said:
“With the insight provided by the public last year to our Rural Crime Survey, we were able to share your experiences and rural policing priorities with Police and Crime Commissioners, the police, and other authorities in order for them to understand the needs, concerns and priorities of rural communities.
