New officers and equipment launched to tackle rural crime

New resources, including new police officers, equipment and training, have been announced this week as part of a cash injection to combat rural and wildlife crime.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Caroline Henry, has made funding available to bolster policing resources as part of her bid to get tough on criminals blighting rural communities – one of her election promises.

Commissioner Henry said: “As your Police and Crime Commissioner I have always been determined that we get tough on rural and wildlife crime. That’s why we have been working hard to develop a new plan which will do just that. Our new plan will stop rural criminals in their tracks.”

New rural beat officers will be introduced in rural areas across the county to ensure communities see more visible front-line policing as part of the new plan. 10 new single points of contact for rural crime will also be introduced into the control room to improve expertise among call takers and dispatchers whenever a crime or incident is reported in.

Part of the plan to tackle rural crime is investing in new state-of-the-art equipment to ensure officers have the tools they need. This will include new drones, off-road motorbikes, fixed and mobile Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras in rural locations, thermal imaging goggles and 4x4 vehicles.

Chief Inspector Heather Sutton, the rural crime lead within Nottinghamshire Police, said: “I feel really positive about the future of policing rural and wildlife matters in Nottinghamshire. The rural crime plan we are offering is comprehensive and is based on issues raised by the community, built on the existing good work and learning from other forces across the UK.

Our officers will have a more coordinated approach to rural and wildlife crime, more training, access to national experts and importantly, we’ll have the kit and equipment to do what we need to do in your rural areas.”

Plans also include boosting engagement with farmers and rural communities and ensuring officers receive the latest training tailored to the needs of rural communities by working closely with the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) to deliver this. Increased engagement efforts will include a bespoken Neighbourhood Alert program to keep those in rural communities updated on latest news as well as a specific rural and wildlife crime online reporting service.

Andy Guy from the National Farmers’ Union said: “Rural Crime has been an ever-increasing problem for Nottinghamshire farmers in recent years. Whether it is hare coursing or fly-tipping, the theft of fuel or machinery, the problems have been escalating and the farming community can’t continue to cope with the disruption to their lives or the cost to their businesses.

I am pleased that both Commissioner Henry and Chief Inspector Heather Sutton have listened to the farming community, as they have developed this plan, and I have high hopes that it will make a real difference to the lives of farmers and rural people in the county.

I look forward to helping with the all-important training which will help to ensure that officers and civilian staff understand the full consequences of rural crimes.”

Commissioner Henry added: “It is really important those in rural communities know that we have listened and taken their concerns seriously. Our new action plan details exactly how we will deliver for rural communities to tackle both rural and wildlife crime.”