Today I went to Wymeswold with my team to deliver our leaflet about rural policing. It soon became clear that burglary is a real issue for local residents.
Burglary is a crime that can destroy lives. It is not just the loss of property and the damage done, but the sense of violation. Once your home has been invaded, it is difficult to ever feel safe there again. The fear of crime becomes a real and present danger.
I would like the police to:
- Encourage Neighbourhood Policing units to collect and use local intelligence to target and disrupt the activities of known burglars;
- Proactively offer advice to householders and business owners on how to improve property security;
- Seek ways to target and disrupt the sale of stolen property to make burglary less profitable;
- Target and disrupt the drugs trade.
But to really help places like Wymeswold, this need to be part of a wider strategy to deal with rural crime.
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;
