Police bucking the trend on rural crime

POLICE in Cheshire are bucking the trend when it comes to tackling rural crime.
Nationally, people living in rural communities say they don’t have confidence in the police and tend not to bother reporting many incidents.
The cost of rural crime is more than £800 million and the situation appears bleak.
But in Cheshire, officers are reinforcing their commitment to rural communities, by focusing on 100 days of action.
The initiative has been implemented in different areas across the county and ranges from giving crime prevention advice, to encourage members of the public to join the policing family helping to tackle rural crime.
In the first 40 days, Cheshire Police have continued with the work already done in the community.
Officers in Knutsford spent a day security marking plant and agricultural machinery worth £1 million, including tractors, quad bikes, telehandlers and combine harvesters.
Other activity over the 40 days has included:
• Signing people up to the Horsewatch and Cyclewatch schemes.
• Officers visiting local farmers issuing crime prevention advice.
• Rural teams seizing stolen items, for example a horse trailer.
• Tackling drug related offences in rural areas.
• Officers investigating incidents involving stolen cars, some of which have been burnt out
• Ensuring motorists stay safe and don’t speed on rural roads.
• Investigating theft of livestock which can often have a large impact on rural communities.
Deputy Chief Constable Janette McCormick (pictured above) said, “As part of our We’re Here commitments to the community, we want to remind those living in rural areas that we’re not just here for our towns and cities. By highlighting the good work our rural officers already do and engaging with the community to help them prevent themselves becoming a victim of crime, we can build on the relationship we have and, more importantly, tackle an issue that has such as impact not only on people themselves but in some cases their livelihood.”