Today my team and I went to Old Dalby to deliver our leaflet. A revival of community policing would, I believe, really help rural villages like Old Dalby. Parish councils and neighbourhood watch committees know their local communities far better than anyone else. By working with these bodies, the police can provide a much better service to rural communities than they could do by themselves. That would involved proper support being provided to neighbourhood watch, parish councils and others - something that I would support as your Police and Crime Commissioner.
Of course, that needs to be but a part of reforming how our rural communities are policed.
The perception is that rural areas offer easy pickings to criminals due to the great distances involved and often poor roads, both of which slow down police response times. That must end. Our local police are doing their best with limited resources, but more needs to be done.
I would like to see the police in Leicestershire:
- Deploy more police to rural areas.
- Ensure higher visibility policing in our rural areas.
- Establish Rural Crime Co-Ordinator who will bring together all the agencies who can help prevent crime in rural areas, and tackle it when it does happen;
- Make Rural Crime Packs available to residents and business to help them protect themselves and ease the fear of crime;
- Build an effective Rural Crimestoppers system to provide a quick, confidential channel that people can use to pass on information about crime and criminals.
- Maintain an online Rural Crime Hub a one stop shop for farmers and other rural businesses giving advice on crime prevention, how to report crime, who to call and two-way communication with police;
- Hold regular public meetings with the Neighbourhood Policing area team present;
- Ensure effective support for Rural Neighbourhood Watch Schemes;
- Rebuild a wide-ranging and properly supported Volunteers on Horseback scheme;
- Work closely with East Midlands Special Operations Unit, National Crime Square and the Border Force to tackle the way gangs dispose of the vehicles;
- Ask Roads Policing vehicles to check farm vehicles and plant, especially movements after dark;
- Lobby for new legislation to make trespass a criminal offence;
- Work with the East Midlands Special Operations Unit to target and disrupt the networks through which stolen farm machinery, farm vehicles and livestock are sold;
