VIDEO: Police Focus On Countryside Offenders During Rural Crime Week

Sussex Police say they're focusing on making people feel safe and secure in countryside communities, and holding offenders to account.

Officers teamed up with partners and neighbouring forces as part of *Rural Crime Week, which ran from Monday, February 26 to Friday, March 1.

Assistant Chief Constable Howard Hodges, the force lead for Rural Crime, said:

“Rural crime is really important. It’s particularly important for those who live and work in rural communities, and it can have a huge impact both economically and financially.

“But there’s also that feeling of isolation and vulnerability, and that’s why we need to ensure people in the countryside are not only safe, but also feel safe.

“It’s crucial that we do everything we can to make our local area hostile to crime, but also to provide that visibility and reassurance, and investigate crime efficiently and hold people to account where it does occur.”

Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Kent, and Thames Valley police forces set up the South East Partnership Against Rural Crime (SEPARC) which was officially launched to coincide with Rural Crime Week.

ACC Hodges said:

“The South East Partnership Against Rural Crime is exactly what it says on the tin – it’s about partners and agencies working together to make sure the South East region is a place that’s hostile for those who might want to come and commit crime in our area.

“It’s also about reassurance to the local communities and making sure we’re all working together to prioritise rural crime.”

During the week, the force’s Rural Crime Team visited premises to check on the welfare of endangered species; carried out property marking at a number of heritage sites across the county; conducted vehicle stops in relation to theft, waste carrying and modern slavery offences on the A23; and engaged with the public around livestock worrying on Ashdown Forest, among other things.

While the campaign was focused around a period of intensified activity, the force’s Rural Crime Team continue to prevent, detect and respond to incidents all year round.

Derek Pratt, Deputy Chair of Sussex Neighbourhood Watch, said:

“People think of Neighbourhood Watch as being a town-based organisation, where people look after their own street. But the reality is that people who live in towns come out into the countryside. So when they come into the countryside, we are hoping they have their ears and eyes all open, working, and then if they see something that perhaps needs reporting, then they get on to the police and report it.

“I think it’s very important that people stay vigilant in the countryside because you never know what you’re going to come across.”

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne added:

“Farmers, residents living in the Sussex countryside and our rural-based businesses can often feel isolated and vulnerable, particularly in the darker winter months, so joint operations between Sussex Police and the neighbouring forces will bring some welcome reassurance.

“Rural crime remains a priority in my Police & Crime Plan and the launch of SEPARC shows that police are continuing to take the concerns of our farmers and local businesses seriously.

“I’m delighted that Chief Constable Jo Shiner and our dedicated Rural Crime Team have backed this initiative to make Sussex and the South East a no-go zone for all sorts of criminal and damaging activity.”

*Rural crime is defined as offences that relate to farms, agriculture, wildlife, the environment and heritage sites, where they are targeted due to their isolation or rural location.