Call to end rural crime ‘lottery’
NFU calls for new task force
POLICE: A national rural crime task force should be launched by the Government to address failures in dealing with criminals who prey on countryside communities, says The National Farmers’ Union (NFU).
It said that a more consistent and co-ordinated way of tackling rural crime was needed to end a postcode lottery.
A NATIONAL rural crime task force should be launched by the Government to address failures in dealing with criminals who prey on countryside communities, says The National Farmers’ Union (NFU).
It said that a more consistent and co-ordinated way of tackling rural crime was needed to end a postcode lottery whereby rural crime is tackled differently from force to force.
There has been a “dramatic” increase in incidences of rural crime and a growing feeling of vulnerability reported by NFU members, the union said, with the absence of a national strategy for addressing the issue doing nothing to alleviate the problems faced on farms.
The union released its new rural crime manifesto at a parliamentary reception yesterday, hosted by Baroness Anne McIntosh of Pickering and attended by the chief constable of North Yorkshire Police, Dave Jones.
Speaking ahead of the Westminster event, Minette Batters, the NFU’s deputy president, said: “With significant and varied differences across police forces, safety in rural areas has become a postcode lottery.
“Farmers are reporting dramatic increases in incidents and are feeling more vulnerable as these actions continue. Violent crime along with fly-tipping, hare coursing and theft are just a few examples of the crimes farm businesses are being subject to.”
Ms Batters added: “The NFU is asking Government and the Home Office to ensure increased and fairer funding for rural policing. More than 1,000 rural police stations closed between 2000 and 2012, directly impacting the level of police surveillance.”
North Yorkshire Police launched a Rural Taskforce in April 2016 and it is believed to be the largest unit dedicated to tackling rural crime in England.
Ms Batter said: “There are many very good examples of police forces taking action and implementing good practice to deal with rural crime, with great success. But we believe more joinedup thinking is needed from police forces together with local authorities and Government to address these issues. The NFU would like Government to take the lead to ensure all constabularies adopt strategies of accurate recording and target-setting and are willing to work together to find positive solutions to these challenges.” Baroness McIntosh told The
Yorkshire Post that confidence within rural communities needed lifting in the fight against crime, saying: “Rural crime can be a 4x4 or an animal box taken and that’s big money for the farmer but because it is not a crime against a person, there are limited resources to go after those responsible. If you make a report about a crime on a farm and nothing happens, you’re not going to do so again.”
FARMERS ARE the lifeblood of our countryside communities but when it comes to rural crime all too often they face a ‘postcode lottery’ that depends on the approach, and resources, of overstretched local police forces. Which is why the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) is calling on the Government to create a cross-departmental rural crime task force to crackdown on criminal gangs.
The NFU, which represents more than 55,000 farmers in England and Wales, warns there has been a sharp increase in the number of crimes being reported with farmers increasingly concerned about their safety.
Rural crime is big business, costing almost £3.5m a year in Yorkshire alone, and there simply has to be greater consistency in tackling it. Farmers cannot be seen as easy targets and those who prey on them must face the full force of the law, no matter where they are. It’s the very least our hard-working rural communities deserve.