Shock as cost of rural crime up by 51pc in Shropshire

NFU Mutual’s annual crime report showed the county had seen one of the biggest rises in rural crime in the country.

Across the UK, rural crime increased by 13.1 per cent, costing the country £44.5 million.

The data is based on insurance claims.

Vehicle thefts were by some way the most expensive crime, totalling more than £10 million.

Thefts of agricultural vehicles cost farmers £5.9 million, an increase of £500,000 on 2016.

Thefts of Land Rover Defender vehicles fell from £2.1 million to £1.9 million last year, although this might have been influenced by the fact that the model went out of production in 2016.

Theft of all-terrain vehicles – commonly known as ‘quad bikes’ – rose from £2 million to £2.3 million last year.

Livestock thefts were the next biggest cost at £2.4 million, an increase of £200,000.

Rural crime in Shropshire cost just over £1 million last year, up from £717,000 in 2016.

Jonathan Evans, of the Shropshire NFU branch, said he was not surprised by the figures. “Rural crime is on the rise and dedicated rural police resource is needed to tackle the problem.” Mr Evans said he had seen some excellent examples of police forces getting on the front foot with rural policing, and other forces should follow suit.

Chief Supt Kevin Purcell, who is in charge of policing in the county, said: “There is no doubt that policing the vast rural areas we have in Shropshire offers unique challenges not least because of the huge geographic areas covered and the vast array of road networks weaving through the countryside.

“We know that the majority of rural crime is committed by travelling criminals, who are often part of a larger organised network, and it is important we all work together to counter this.”