The term rural crime may not be one you are aware of, but it is important to understand the different types of rural crime and what you can do to prevent it.
Rural crime is currently increasing 3 times faster than non-rural crime, so it is incredibly important to increase the awareness of these types of crimes.
Here are a few types of rural crime:
- Burglary
- Fly-tipping
- Domestic abuse
- Wildlife/heritage crime
- Anti-social behaviour
- Arson and vandalism
Tackling rural crime in Harborough
We see rural crime as an issue through the recent arson attacks on haystacks. This devastating spree of crimes has caused major problems for the farming community and emergency services, for which the cost to resolve a single incident (for example putting out the fires) could cost on average £150,000. However, the Leicestershire police has teamed up with the Northamptonshire Police’s rural crime team to form Operation Clock to prevent these attacks from reoccurring by providing a united approach to investigating suspects.
Furthermore, a rural watch scheme has been set up to reduce the amount of rural crime occurring in the Leicestershire and Rutland area. The incentives of this operation are to: reduce local opportunities for rural crime and vandalism, reinforce community spirit, introduce early warning systems in the farming areas and improve the intelligence flow between rural communities and the police.
Changes to the countryside code
The pandemic has changed people’s relationships with nature. The changes aim to help everyone enjoy parks and open spaces in a safe way, whilst encouraging them to look after our natural environments.
This article was written in partnership with the Harborough District Community Safety Partnership. You can read previous articles by visiting our partnerships section.
