CLA welcomes funding boost to fight rural crime
THE National Rural Crime Unit and National Wildlife Crime Unit will receive over £800,000 to
continue their work tackling rural and wildlife crime, the government has announced. The CLA
(Country Land and Business Association) has welcomed this news.
The Home Office said the funding will be used in the battle against equipment theft, livestock
theft and hare coursing “which can devastate rural communities, farming and wildlife”.
Country Land and Business Association (CLA) President Victoria Vyvyan said: “Rural crime blights
the countryside, so we welcome the news of more funding as well as the upcoming launch of the
new national strategy.
“Farmers and communities – many already struggling with isolation – have had enough of
criminals and violent organised gangs targeting them. They deserve to feel safe and protected.
“As recent CLA analysis found, some police forces lack dedicated rural officers and basic kit. This
new funding is a step in the right direction in the fight against rural crime, and must be used to equip
more officers as well as improve training for call handlers.”
Lack of dedicated officers
Last year the CLA approached 36 police forces operating in rural areas across England and Wales,
lodging Freedom of Information (FOI) requests.
In total, 20 forces responded to reveal:
Five forces have no rural crime team, and eight forces have less than ten dedicated rural
officers
Lack of equipment including at least three forces without torches, six without mobile ANPR
cameras, three without rural drone kits, and three with just one drone kit
No universal tag to track common rural crimes on police databases
Large disparity in rural crime team funding, with some receiving £900,000 and others just
£1,250.
In this week’s announcement, the Home Office said funding to the National Rural Crime Unit will
enable it to continue to increase collaboration across police forces, harnessing the latest technology
and data to target the serious organised crime groups involved in crimes like equipment theft from
farms.
The National Wildlife Crime Unit will strengthen its ability to disrupt criminal networks exploiting
endangered species both in the UK and internationally, with enhanced data analysis and financial
investigation helping the unit track illegal wildlife profits and ensure offenders face justice.
It also said a rural crime strategy is due in April.
