Machinery Theft
Agricultural machinery, plant equipment, quad bikes, all-terrain vehicles and other valuable equipment can be targeted by organised criminals.
Protecting Rural Communities
Rural Crime Team
Rural Crime Teams are specialist police teams dedicated to protecting people, businesses, farms, livestock, wildlife and property across the countryside. Officers combine specialist knowledge with community engagement, crime prevention and proactive policing to tackle the unique challenges faced by rural communities.
What Is a Rural Crime Team?
Specialist officers focused on the policing needs of rural communities.
Rural Crime Teams are specialist police teams that focus on crimes affecting the countryside, farming communities and rural businesses.
Rural areas present different policing challenges from densely populated towns and cities. Farms, villages, woodland and other countryside locations can cover large geographical areas, while valuable machinery, livestock and equipment may be stored in isolated locations.
Officers develop knowledge of rural communities and the types of crime that particularly affect them. This can include agricultural machinery theft, livestock offences, illegal hunting and poaching, wildlife crime, heritage crime and other offences affecting rural businesses and property.
Rural Crime Teams also work to prevent offences before they happen. Officers can engage with farmers, landowners, businesses and residents to provide crime-prevention information and improve communication between communities and the police.
Many rural crimes cross police-force boundaries. Rural Crime Teams therefore work with neighbouring forces, national policing units and partner organisations to share information and coordinate responses.
Protecting Farms and Rural Businesses
Farms and rural businesses can contain valuable vehicles, machinery, tools, livestock and equipment that are essential to people's livelihoods. Rural Crime Teams investigate offences affecting these businesses while also helping communities understand how they can improve security and report suspicious activity. Officers can provide crime-prevention advice and work with farming communities to identify recurring problems and emerging crime trends.
Rural Crime Priorities
Rural policing covers a diverse range of offences affecting people, property, animals and the countryside.
Livestock Crime
Officers deal with offences involving livestock, including theft and incidents involving dogs worrying livestock.
Poaching & Illegal Hunting
Rural officers can investigate illegal hunting, poaching and hare coursing while working with landowners and other policing teams.
Wildlife Crime
Specialist officers help investigate offences involving protected wildlife and work with relevant wildlife-crime partners.
Rural Theft
Tools, vehicles, trailers, fuel and other property belonging to farms and rural businesses can be targets for theft.
Heritage Crime
Crime affecting historic buildings, archaeological sites, monuments and other heritage assets can form part of rural policing.
Waste Crime
Rural areas can be affected by illegal waste activity and fly-tipping, requiring cooperation between police and other authorities.
Community Engagement
Rural Crime Teams build relationships with farmers, residents and businesses so concerns and suspicious activity can be reported and understood.
Rural Crime at a Glance
- Farms
- Agricultural communities
- Wildlife
- Countryside protection
- Partnership
- Joint working
- Prevention
- Community safety
Rural officers work with farmers and agricultural businesses affected by specialist crime problems.
Many Rural Crime Teams also contribute to the investigation and prevention of wildlife crime.
Rural policing frequently involves cooperation with neighbouring police forces, communities and specialist organisations.
Crime-prevention work and engagement are important parts of rural policing alongside enforcement.
Working With Rural Communities
Effective rural policing depends on strong relationships between officers and the people who live and work in the countryside. Rural Crime Teams regularly engage with farmers, landowners, rural businesses and residents to understand the problems affecting their communities. Officers may attend agricultural events, conduct community visits and support rural-watch initiatives that improve communication between the public and police. Information supplied by communities can also help officers identify patterns, understand emerging problems and coordinate policing activity.
Frequently asked questions
A Rural Crime Team is a specialist policing team focused on crimes and community-safety issues that particularly affect rural areas.
Depending on the police force, their work can include machinery and vehicle theft, livestock offences, wildlife crime, poaching, hare coursing, heritage crime and offences affecting farms and rural businesses.
No. Farm and machinery theft are important issues, but rural crime covers a much broader range of offences involving communities, businesses, animals, wildlife and the countryside.
Livestock worrying involves incidents where dogs chase or attack livestock. It can cause serious animal-welfare problems and significant distress and financial consequences for farmers.
Many do. The current national policing strategy covers rural and wildlife crime together, although the exact way specialist resources are organised varies between police forces.
Yes. Engagement with farmers, landowners and rural businesses is an important part of understanding local problems and preventing crime.
Yes. Rural crime can cross force boundaries, particularly where organised groups target vehicles, machinery or other property in different parts of the country.
No. Prevention and community engagement are also important. Teams can provide advice, conduct patrols and work with rural communities to reduce opportunities for crime.
Crime and suspicious activity should be reported through the relevant police force's official reporting service. An emergency or immediate danger should be reported through the emergency services.
Help Protect Rural Communities
Farmers, residents, businesses and visitors can all contribute to safer rural communities. Reporting crime and suspicious activity gives police valuable information and helps specialist teams understand the problems affecting the countryside.