Spotlight must be on rural crime
Spring is officially here, or at least it should be, and people are making their way out into the countryside to enjoy the great outdoors.
In Scotland, we are fortunate to be able roam the countryside unhindered, but we should not forget our responsibilities, especially when walking your dog.
In recent weeks there have been a spate of dog attacks on new-born lambs and in-lamb ewes. In Argyll, 12 sheep were put down as a result of horrific injuries sustained in an attack. Figures have shown that farmers are reporting more cases than ever before.
Despite this huge increase in reported cases, only 10 per cent have resulted in conviction. Across Scotland, in 2016/17, there were 175 reported cases of sheep worrying with only 19 convictions. In Perth and Kinross, the police were called out on 14 occasions but none of these cases even made it to court. Farmers are rightfully frustrated and feel dog walkers have carte blanche to do what they want.
However, many dog walkers are unaware of the consequences of their pet’s behaviour. Even if your dog does not attack, the simple presence of it in a field can cause in-lamb ewes to miscarry. Following one of the toughest winters on record, farmers are experiencing serious financial pressure and could do without dog attacks that cost the industry £1.7 million last year. Backing this up are figures from NFU Mutual which show insurance claims have quadrupled in the past two years as a result of livestock worrying. Clearly, more needs to be done to prevent this type of crime.
This view is shared by the National Farmers Union who launched their“take the lead”campaign last week, which I was happy to support. The NFUS are calling on dog owners to keep their animals on the lead whilst in fields with sheep or new born lambs.
Regardless of this campaign’s effectiveness farmers need more than public awareness to tackle sheep worrying. Ultimately, the police must take these crimes seriously, and that means more investigations and prosecutions. They could start by beefing up and enforcing the access code regulations under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act, however, the police can’t do this on their own and need support from the Scottish Government.
Last week, police officer strength statistics revealed that there are 25 fewer officers patrolling the beat in Tayside since the single force came into operation in 2014. It’s tough to point at exactly where these cuts have been made but you can bet rural areas have been hit the hardest. After all, it was only last year when Police Scotland released a crime prevention strategy that made no mention of rural crime.
Added to this was the centralisation of call centres and the removal of public counters from rural towns and villages. In neglecting community policing the Scottish Government have given rural crime the space to breathe and grow.
Ministers at St Andrews House are fond of spinning the line that crime is at an all-time low, and whilst serious violent crime is trending downwards- like all major western European nations- rural crime is on the up. Whether this is sheep worrying or quad bike theft, more needs to be done to protect rural communities. A good place to start would be cracking down on livestock crime and I would encourage the Scottish Government to make improving safety in rural communities a priority rather than an afterthought.
* As ever Liz appreciates the feedback of constituents and can be contacted at the Control Tower, Perth Airport, Scone, PH2 6PL or via email at Elizabeth.Smith.msp@ parliament.scot or via telephone at 01738 553 990 The National Farmers Union launch their “take the lead” campaign