The Countryside Alliance has briefed parliamentarians ahead of the Opposition Day Debate on Rural Crime and Public Services. The debate is calling on 'the Government to ensure that the personal, social and economic costs of crime and anti-social behaviour in rural areas are fully understood and acted upon.'
The Countryside Alliance knows that crime is a key issue for rural communities and has risen up the agenda of rural concerns over the last few years. The Alliance has made the case for fairer funding of rural police forces and for more visible policing to ensure that rural communities have confidence that crime in the countryside is being taken seriously. The current lack of confidence in rural policing means that crime is underreported in rural areas, with more than one in four not reporting the last crime they were a victim of because they either felt it was a waste of time or that the police would not be able to do anything. The implication of this is that we have a rural population simply putting up with the crime they experience and making do as best they can.
In addition, the extent of crime in rural areas is only part of the problem. For many people, whether they have fallen victim to crime or not, the simple fear of crime can have a detrimental effect on their quality of life. The anticipation of crime has the potential to cause greater harm than the actual experience of crime itself due to the effect of long-term stress and other mental health considerations. This is exacerbated by rural isolation.
The Countryside Alliance knows that good rural policing is about far more than numbers of police officers on the ground. If we truly want to tackle rural crime, then we must form effective partnerships between the police, rural communities and other authorities.
You can read our full brief here and if you are concerned about rural crime make your voice heard by completing the National Rural Crime Survey here or contact your MP.