NFU welcomes efforts to combat rural crime in Nottinghamshire
Notts farmers welcome crackdown on rural crime
Nottinghamshire farmers have welcomed a new policing team to crack down on rural crime and support those living and working in rural communities.
County police chiefs announced the launch of their Neighbourhood Rural Crime Team this week to clamp down on the issue.
The team, which will be based at Ollerton Police Station, is an extension of their existing neighbourhood policing offer and will bring together four officers dedicated to rural crime.
The new team will deal with prevention, tackle recurring and emerging issues and improve outcomes for victims.
Southwell farmer Ed Hammond, NFU Nottinghamshire vice chair, said rural crime affected the whole community.
“When organised criminals target our countryside, they undermine people’s sense of safety, damage local businesses and disrupt everyday life,” he said.
“The launch of the Neighbourhood Rural Crime Team is an opportunity to strengthen intelligence gathering, identify patterns across incidents and work across county boundaries to tackle the networks responsible.
“We welcome this investment and look forward to farmers, rural residents and police working together to make Nottinghamshire’s countryside a safer place to live and work.”
The four officers will receive enhanced training to investigate crimes including the theft of farm machinery; wildlife offences such as poaching; criminal damage caused by off-road vehicles and fuel theft.
Patrick Lynn, who also farms near Southwell, said the news was very welcome and reporting and helping the police gather intelligence remained essential.
Mr Lynn, NFU Nottinghamshire Council delegate, said: “Now the county has established its own rural crime team, I encourage everyone living and working in our rural communities to report every crime and suspicious incident, however small it may seem.
“Each report helps build a clearer picture of where crime is happening, identify patterns and connections, and direct resources where they are needed most.
“By reporting consistently and sharing local knowledge, we can help the new team tackle rural crime effectively.”
The new team will have shift patterns covering day and night and focus on engagement, intelligence gathering, the investigation of offences, arrests, seizures and proactive operations based on emerging crime trends.