The CA at the Lib Dem conference
The Countryside Alliance was pleased to host the main fringe event on rural policy issues at the...
about this blogRead moreCrime is a key issue for rural communities. Before the general election and the Police and Crime Commissioners election, we called on those elected to recognise that tackling crime and increasing police visibility is a priority for the rural electorate. While there is 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 nor reflected in government policies.
Ahead of coming to power, the Labour Party published a rural crime strategy which put forward an approach to tackle rural crime, a growing concern for countryside communities. Rural crime was also a key strand of our Rural Charter which we published ahead of the general election. While we had similar goals in addressing the rise in rural crime, our approaches and specific commitments differed.
Labour's strategy focused on a multi-faceted approach to counter the increase in rural crime, which has surged by 32% since 2011. The strategy consisted of three primary components:
The Countryside Alliance's approach to rural crime is about forming effective partnerships between the police, rural communities and other authorities to ensure that the needs of our rural communities are truly understood and that the availability of services matches those needs. The focus we gave rural crime in our Charter called for more specific reforms and strategies.
Both strategies acknowledge the alarming rise in rural crime and the pressing need for effective measures to combat it. However, our approaches differ in the following key areas.
Labour's rural crime strategy and the Alliance Rural Charter both seek to address the rising issue of rural crime through comprehensive and targeted approaches. Labour focuses on coordination, increased police presence, and stricter enforcement, while the Countryside Alliance prioritises police reform, community engagement, and fair funding.
Only time will tell how much the government will implement of their rural crime strategy but the Alliance will be holding their feet to the fire. The Alliance will continue to raise the issue of rural crime in Parliament and will be seeking meetings with the key ministers in the Home Office and Defra as we are keen to work with them in tackling this blight in the countryside, highlighting the need for both strong enforcement and community-based approaches to create safer rural communities.
The Countryside Alliance was pleased to host the main fringe event on rural policy issues at the...
about this blogRead moreCountryside Alliance Chief Executive Tim Bonner writes:
about this blogRead moreA major survey of rural voters on the Conservative Party leadership contest has revealed deep...
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