Rural Crime
Rural crime has in the past often been a forgotten side of policing. But over recent years we've seen a rise in crime in the countryside; much of it of a particularly mindless and destructive nature.
Theft is a major problem ranging from items of machinery of all sizes to animals. However, one of the most disturbing increases has been in the mindless destruction of animals. This goes well beyond poaching; animals are being deliberately rammed by vehicles and left to suffer agonising deaths.
I've raised this issue nationally on Radio 4's Farming Today programme and thanks to initiatives such as Michael Colston's Dogwatch Scheme there are good intelligence networks on the ground. I've been impressed that the police have reacted positively to our concerns and are taking this seriously.
Recently, for example, combined air and ground operations by the police have led to successful arrests.
