Spotlight on rural policing

Leicestershire Police is strengthening its commitment to rural policing with the launch of a new rural policing strategy.

Leicestershire Police is strengthening its commitment to rural policing with the launch of a new rural policing strategy.

The strategy outlines the force’s plans over the next four years to support people who live and work in the countryside by responding to their concerns and tackling crime in rural communities.  The strategic aims include;

• Three additional officers dedicated to rural policing to support existing resources
• Training for our contact centre staff on issues that affect rural communities so they recognise these at the first point of call
• Enhanced training for all dedicated neighbourhood officers on rural beats
• An effective response to all calls for service
• Prevention and the detection of rural crime
• Working with partners to deliver effective partnership responses in our rural communities

The force currently has 18 specially trained wildlife crime officers; six rural special constables; Heritage Watch volunteers and beat teams based in rural neighbourhoods across the force area.  They will now be supported by a new team who will focus solely on agricultural, equine, wildlife and heritage issues as well as provide training and advice to other officers and departments.  The team has been created to increase confidence in rural communities, prevent and detect crime and encourage reporting.

To mark the launch of the strategy the force ran a rural week of action from October 2 to October 9 2021 in rural locations across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.  Officers were out on patrol in the most isolated parts of Rutland, Melton and Charnwood and Hinckley.  Activity ranged from having a stand at the Harborough Game Fair; traffic operations using automatic number plate recognition (ANPR); meeting farmers at Melton Cattle Market then culminating in a rural policing event with more than 25 stands on a farm in Packington on Sat 9 October.

Assistant Chief Constable Julia Debenham is the strategic lead for rural crime for the force.  She said; “We know that some people living and working in the countryside don’t always feel the police are dealing with the issues that matter to them. We want to change that.

“Rural policing isn’t just about dealing with farming issues, although that is an important part of it, but it also covers a range of other issues such as domestic abuse and burglary that might impact people living in more isolated areas.”  

“I hope the publication of this new strategy shows that the force is committed to tackling all the issues that affect people who live and work in the countryside.  Our new team will complement and enhance the resources we already have in place to reassure people that we do take their concerns seriously and we are committed to making a difference.”

Sergeant Paul Archer is heading up the new rural policing team.  He spent all his school holidays on a friend’s dairy farm in Countesthorpe.  He said; “I did consider a career in farming but my dad was a police officer so I took that route instead however, I have always remained passionate about the countryside.  I’ve spent quite a lot of my policing career, first as a PC and then as sergeant, patrolling in and around Lutterworth and Market Harborough so when the opportunity came up to become the rural policing sergeant I leapt at it.

“This new team is great news for our rural communities.  It demonstrates the forces commitment to tackling rural crime and that we have listened to people’s concerns and acted on them.  We realise that it is not just about farming but about all the people who live or work in areas outside a city or town.  Lots of work is already being done every day by our officers and staff to address rural crime but I am delighted that the new dedicated team will bring more resources to this important area and reassure rural people that their issues are important to us.” 

The Police and Crime Commissioner for Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, Rupert Matthews, came out to the cattle market in Melton and spent the day at the rural event in Packington.  He said; “Rural areas in Leicestershire and Rutland require robust policing. Hare-coursing, burglary, dangerous driving, fly tipping, farm robberies, and church lead thefts blight our villages and farms. In my Police and Crime Plan, I have pledged to enhance the existing Rural Policing Plan and provide resources that these officers need to tackle the crimes that affect our countryside.  

“In my view, the Police need to be doing many more of these kinds of events and the turnout was a vindication of my belief that if the police engage with the public then the public will engage back. We need to enhance the trust between the police and those the public, particularly rural communities.”

To find out more about what the team are doing you can follow them on Twitter @LeicsRuralCrime or Facebook at ‘Leicestershire and Rutland Rural Policing Team’.  You can also sign up to neighbourhood link at www.neighbourhoodlink.co.uk to get updates from your beat team.

Please do not report crime through social media but by calling 101 or emailing www.leics.police.uk/reportcrime