Police to attend 'every rural crime'
EVERY reported rural crime across West Berkshire will now be attended by officers from Thames Valley Police.
The news means that any reports which were previously dealt with over the phone, such as criminal damage with no witnesses or low value theft, will now be dealt with in person and an appointment will be made with the victim.
And incidents will be dealt with under an ‘urgent attendance policy', which aims to have an officer with the caller within an hour.
The force has launched the initiative after recognising that rural crime has a big impact on victims.
The news was welcomed by the owner of equestrian and shooting suppliers Woodlands Enterprises in Great Shefford, Billy Morris, whose business has seen nine attempted break-ins and one successful attempt.
“If trained officers come out then they might be able to spot something that the public might not. It can only be good news,” he said.
Mr Morris said that he had always had a good response from the police and that patrols had gone up significantly in recent months. He also urged people to report any incidents or suspicious activity.
“We are a big area to police and they can’t be everywhere at once. However silly or small the crime might be, report it because that might lead to something. It’s not going to go away. Wait until harvest time when there’s tractors full of fuel and [criminals] come and take the diesel.”
Rural crime has been set out as a priority by the Police and Crime Commissioner for the Thames Valley, Anthony Stansfeld, who said earlier this year: “Previously, I think the serious effects of this may have been underestimated but it will now be tackled with the seriousness it warrants – it’s unacceptable to have criminal gangs preying on rural communities. Stealing heavy plant machinery has increased and we’ve got to stop it.”
Crimes falling under the force’s definition of rural crime include burglary, criminal damage, fly tipping and poaching occurring on a farm, including farm shops, fields and fish farms, or where agricultural tools and machinery, fuel or livestock have been affected.
Head of Neighbourhood Policing and Partnerships, Ch Supt Tim De Meyer said: “This definition will ensure that we focus on the crimes that target or affect the rural economy. Crime in these categories has gone down in recent years. But there is still more to be done.
“This faster response reflects our determination to tackle rural crime and is part of a range of measures we are introducing to prevent, detect and reduce it.
“This faster response, followed up by thorough investigation, will of course increase our chances of finding evidence and catching the criminals responsible.”
The LPA Commander for West Berkshire, Supt Robin Rickard, said: “Since the beginning of the year, Thames Valley Police in West Berkshire have been reviewing all rural crime. This process was put in place following feedback from victims of crime.
“As a result, all victims of rural crime are visited by a police officer and the most appropriate police resource investigates the crime, for example detectives would investigate higher value and high impact crime or crimes that are identified as being part of a crime series.”
Supt Rickard said that although the number of reported rural crimes this year was so far, similar to last year, he said that the true level of rural crime across the district could be a lot higher as there was an under reporting of crime, suspicious people and activity in rural areas.
“I would encourage people to report suspicious people, vehicles and activity to the police at the time that it is witnessed,” he said.
