Organisations team up to protect rural community

Leicestershire Police has teamed up with Rutland County Council and Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) to tackle rural crime.

The trio of organisations are working together as part of the Safer Rutland Partnership to enforce the ‘Safer Villages scheme’, a campaign that has been developed by the Police, the Council’s Community Safety Team and the fire service.

The scheme aims to reduce rural crime and is enforced by providing villages with their own stock of community safety resources, materials and specialist training.

In addition, on-going efforts to tackle speeding in towns and villages will continue.

Materials provided as part of the scheme include: shed alarms, window alarms, signs, stickers and special markers that can be used to tag garden tools and any other household items.

Locals will also be provided with advice surrounding vehicle crime, home security, fire safety and how to spot fraudsters.

The ‘Safer Villages’ project will be trialled in a small number of villages that have a designated, ‘Safer Villages Champion’; it will then be reviewed after 12 months.

Sergeant Nicholas Woodrow from Leicestershire Police, said:

“We very much look forward to working with all partners throughout this campaign.

“We recently held an event with partnership working at the forefront of discussion and this project is a perfect example of what we are trying to achieve.

“Keeping our rural communities safe is vitally important and we would always encourage anyone who notices something suspicious to contact the Police, by calling 999 in an emergency or 101.”

Councillor Alan Walters, Cabinet Member for Community Safety at Rutland County Council and Chairman of the Safer Rutland Partnership, said:

“Rutland is an area of low crime. It’s a very safe place to live. However, we can be a target for opportunistic criminals who use the A1 to travel in and out of areas to commit thefts and burglaries.

“The Safer Villages scheme aims to equip communities with the knowledge and tools that can help guard against crime. By working together with the police and local villages in this way, we want to stop and deter thieves who see rural communities as an easy target.”

Matthew Walters, Station Manager at Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service, said:

“We’re happy to be a part of the Safer Rutland Partnership and supporting the Safer Villages initiative.

“The safety of our communities is paramount to everything we do as a Service, and by working alongside Rutland County Council and Leicestershire Police we hope we can help create safer people and safer places within the Rutland area.”