The Countryside Alliance (CA) has called for more action to be taken on rural crime after a survey of its members revealed that almost all respondents, 96%, said that crime was a significant issue in their area.
A total of 73% think crime has increased in the last 12 months, while 45% believed that police did not take rural crime seriously enough.
Almost half (48%) of respondents said they felt intimidated by criminals or criminality, and 18% had considered moving away.
Around four out of 10 (39%) respondents had personally experienced rural crime in the past year.
Of those incidents, 44% involved fly-tipping, 32% concerned agricultural machinery theft, and 31% were to do with illegal hare or deer poaching.
The survey found nearly a third of crimes went unreported to police.
Of those who did report an incident, nearly half or 48% were dissatisfied with the response, and 85% say “the police cannot be relied on to be there when you need them”.
Half of respondents said they felt forced to take up crime preventative measures to protect their property in the last year.
These include 71% installing security lighting; 65% installing CCTV, video or infra-red; and 15% acquiring guard dogs.
CA said that some of its respondents have been forced to fork out for paid security patrols to safeguard their buildings and equipment.
Tackling rural crime
The alliance has also called for greater usage of the powers available to police and magistrates, better reporting of cases of livestock theft, and increased support for the National Rural Crime Unit.
CA chief executive, Tim Bonner said tackling crime and increasing police visibility is a major priority for people who live in the countryside:
“While there may be increasing awareness in the corridors of Westminster of the growing problem of rural crime, this awareness is often not felt by the communities that live and work in the countryside.
“By prioritising the issues that matter most to rural residents and ensuring that the police have the resources and support they need to act, we can begin to rebuild trust, improve safety, and create an environment where rural communities feel secure once again,” Bonner said.
The government recently announced £800,000 in funding to combat rural and wildlife crime.
