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Rural crime data, analysed by the BBC, shows that crime suspects are far less likely to be charged for crimes in the countryside than those suspected of crimes in urban areas. Read on to learn more.
We’ve previously talked about the warnings issued by insurers NFU Mutual along with police forces about their anticipation of a rural crime wave, driven by the cost of living crisis. Farmers have told the BBC that police forces are not doing enough to tackle organised rural crime and they rarely solve crimes when they are reported.
In one case a farmer, who has been the victim of various crimes 30 times over the past year, has stopped reporting crime incidents to the police. His Cambridgeshire farm has suffered burglaries, fly-tipping, cable theft and fuel theft. And recently he lost over £16,000 worth of crops, destroyed by joy-riders. The farmer has complained that he and others feel very let down. He highlights how he has called the police on 999 to report a crime and the police have simply not responded. He now spends many thousands of pounds on expensive nightly security patrols to protect his crops - and he has stopped reporting crimes to the police.
High-Tech Rural Crime Targets
Agricultural insurer NFU Mutual has previously reported that although the cost of rural crime declined by 9.3% in 2021 the first quarter of 2022 has seen crime rates skyrocketing with costs escalating by 40% year-on-year. Recent crime reports demonstrate how organised criminal gangs are targeting specific, valuable agricultural assets.
In one case reported from Hertfordshire a number of valuable Tractors were badly damaged and put out of action by thieves who had targeted GPS equipment and screens on the vehicles. They wrecked the locking mechanisms on all of the tractors and ripped out the wiring to detach the valuable high-tech agricultural navigation systems. It`s reported that on the same night as this attack at least 32 other tractors in the area were targeted by GPS tracking system thieves. Further reports showed that 40 GPS systems were stolen from farms in Suffolk and Norfolk on the same night. Each of these GPS systems costs around £20,000 making them valuable targets for criminals who apparently export them for sale on the black market outside the UK.
Farms are not only faced with the direct costs of these thefts but they also need to cope with the impact they have on their business operations. Without vital GPS equipment many farms are left unable to work. As well as the high financial cost, these attacks have a significant emotional impact on agricultural workers and rural communities.
Data Demonstrates Poor Crime Outcomes in Rural Areas
Data analysis carried out by the BBC shows that in 2021 just 31,411 suspects were charged for 455,845 recorded crimes, a rate of 6.89%. Whereas in urban areas, 325,727 charges were made against suspects for 3,809,865 offences which is a contrasting rate of 8.55%. This shows that the proportion of suspects charged
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