Farmers ‘at war’ with rural crime gangs

Farmer Simon Porter has had to install metal girders to stop thieves from ram-raiding his farm storage sheds

Simon Porter, 65, who farms 570 hectares near the village of Crondall in Hampshire, has had to install £10,000 worth of farm defences, including three-tonne concrete blocks at entrances to his field, to keep the gangs out. Mr Porter said his local beat officers were “trying to do their best but with resources that are very limited”.

But the CLA found that, of the 20 police forces that provided information, five do not have a rural crime unit and no force had more than 0.7% of officers dedicated to tackling criminals operating in the countryside. The FOI responses also revealed that Leicestershire Police has allocated just eight officers out of a total force of 2,252 to its rural crime team.But Sergeant Rob Cross, from Leicestershire Police’s rural crime team, told the BBC that it was “one of most active rural crime teams in the country”.

A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman said all chief constables were working to ensure the police were “as visible and approachable as possible” in rural communities.

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