This week marks Rural Crime Action Week. It gives focus to a variety of police, partner and business campaigns and events that shine a light on the types of crimes experienced by people in rural areas, says Conservative Police & Crime Commissioner for Sussex.
Victims of rural crime may be more isolated, due to the geography of our county so we must ensure their voices are not ignored - out of sight must not mean out of mind when it comes to policing. We know that the crimes they face can be devastating to their livelihoods. We also must not forget that rural crime also impacts those who live in towns and cities.
Whether it is livestock or equipment theft, illegal hunting, arson, criminal damage or fly-tipping - these offences not only impact farmers and landowners directly but have negative ripple effects into our economy, supply chains and environment.
"In 2020, our dedicated Sussex Police Rural Crime Team (RCT) was established through funding from the local policing precept - the amount you pay in your council tax for policing. The RCT work throughout the year, proactively investigating and tackling crime as well as working closely with rural partners to encourage reporting, says Katy Bourne.
A national survey conducted earlier this year revealed that 35% of landowners are affected by waste crime but not all of them report to the police. In response to this, the Sussex Rural Crime Team conducted Operation Barley this week and the team were joined by the Environmental Agency, Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency and the Local Authority.
The purpose of Op Barley was to check vehicles, specifically vans and small lorries, that could be carrying waste illegally or have illegal agendas for disposing of waste.
During the morning, numerous vehicles were stopped and checked ensuring: their weight was correct for their vehicle size; that they had the correct paperwork; had the right license to carry waste; and were safe to be on the roads.
The Sussex Rural Crime Team also introduced Operation Galileo, a dedicated effort to tackle hare coursing, which is now a national operation across all police force areas.
Last month alone, the Sussex RCT conducted nearly 26 hours of Op Galileo patrols after receiving reports or intelligence relating to hare coursing. These patrols span the county but specifically in the Adur, Mid Sussex, Wealden, Lewes and Rother Districts.
It's great to see the RCT out this week visiting key hotspot areas and I look forward to hearing more and updating you further about the results from our dedicated week."
