New campaign calls for your help in fighting crime
Residents and visitors to West Sussex have been urged to play their part in bringing those who harm the countryside to justice as part of a new campaign focusing on rural crime.
Charity Crimestoppers said it receives daily intelligence of crimes plaguing our rural communities but believes many incidents are still going unreported.
An NFU Mutual report estimated rural theft in the South East region £7.1million in 2020 – and although the Gazette recently reported that the pandemic had seen a 21 per cent drop in thefts in West Sussex last year, officials are not complacent.
Glenys Balchin, regional manager for Sussex and Surrey at Crimestoppers, said: “Our charity knows how damaging crime in the countryside can be: to local communities, to rural businesses, to farmers, wildlife and the environment.
“Every day we hear from peoplewhoareintheknowabout those involved in damaging our beautiful countryside, but there is so much more we can do.
“By telling us anonymously what you know, whether you live or are visiting rural parts of Sussex and Surrey, your information can help make all the difference.”
In the year to April 2021, Crimestoppers passed on more than 5,200 anonymous pieces of information provided by Sussex and Surrey residents.
Criminal gangs exploit local wildlife, environment and communities in many ways, the charity said.
It explained that rural residents often feel unsafe in their own homes, farm owners have to foot the bill for criminal damage and local businesses in rural areas can see their income and cashflow adversely affected.
A spokesman added: “Rural crime is repetitive and organised – without information it can’t be tackled – and yet visitors to the two counties can help by being the eyes and ears of more isolated communities and report anonymously what they see.”
Crimestoppers has been working with Mitie and Neighbourhood Watch to help raise the profile of rural crime.
The organisations want people to know what rural crime is, why it is a problem and what the public can do to help.
The charity’s four-week local and national campaign is supported by NFU Mutual, RSPCA, Countryside Alliance, NFU, Openreach, FireStoppers, Link, National Wildlife Crime Unit, Environment Agency, CLA and the Angling Trust.
Key themes will focus on wildlife crime, environmental crime and theft, all of which have a detrimental and often crushing affect rural communities.
Initially, the campaign will explore hare coursing, poaching and badger baiting, with advice on how to spot the signs, sharing prevention advice and hearing from organisations who work with the police and other partners to prevent and solve these crimes.
The campaign will also share guest content from partners in the police to learn what they’re doing and how your anonymous information can help police investigations.
Outlining Crimestoppers’ reporting process, Ms Balchin said: “A team of professionals working at our charity’s UK Contact Centre anonymise all information received – to ensure the person giving the details is never identified –before passing it on to police to investigate.
“Your voice really can make a difference. Working together, we can help protect our precious countryside and rural environment, communities and business from the harm caused by these criminal gangs.”
Visit https://crimestoppersuk.org/campaigns-media/ campaigns/rural-crime for more information. Call 0800 555 111 or visit Crimestoppers’ website to report crimes anonymously. Always call 999 in an emergency.