My track record on fighting RURAL CRIME.
Vulnerability and isolation are significant issues in rural communities and that is why as Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner, I have made tackling Rural Crime a key priority and held the Chief Constable to account to ensure that Derbyshire Constabulary improve the way they tackle rural crime and support our rural communities.
Since then I have increased resources to ensure the force has the capacity and the technology to increase targeted operations as well as increase their engagement and support for rural residents.
This year, I launched the Derbyshire Partnership Against Rural Crime (DPARC) to bring together key partners. The aim of the partnership is to keep a sharp focus on combatting rural crime and lead the way in crime prevention. The partnership, together with rural communities, will give Derbyshire rural communities one strong voice locally, regionally and nationally. We have now introduced a specific Derbyshire Rural Crime Strategy and created a Derbyshire Rural Crime Prevention Hub, to provide community safety information and support to our rural communities.
Through the extra funding I have provided the force with, Derbyshire Constabulary were able to introduce the first ever Rural Crime Team PCSO, who has been instrumental in the significant increase in engagement we have experienced over the last year with our rural residents, farmers and businesses.
I have also invested in new initiatives such as the DATATAG Property marking scheme, to protect farmers’ and rural business owners’ vehicles and machinery. In total, over £2 million worth of agricultural machinery has been protected so far. I have now extended this initiative to smaller power tools to help farmers and businesses protect their property further.
The rural crime training has been extended for all officers in local policing teams and control room staff across Derbyshire as well as additional training provided for Rural Crime Team officers. We now have 17 more officers now acting as Single Points of Contact (SPOCs) for rural issues, which is helping to increase police visibility across the rural county.
There is more to do and we must continue this hard work. I am determined to ensure our rural residents get the policing service they deserve and feel they can count on our police officers when they need them. I will also continue to champion a more joined up approach with our partners and neighbouring police forces to ensure our work has the maximum impact and we send a clear message to criminals who think they can get away with targeting some of our most vulnerable communities.