Bob Spencer: Farming communities 'abandoned' by police
Farming families and much of Devon and Cornwall’s rural communities have been abandoned by the police.
That was the view of retired senior police officer Bob Spencer after he visited communities on Dartmoor during his campaign to become the next police and crime commissioner for the region.
Cuts to funding have meant the closure of police stations and reductions in the number of officers which is leaving vast swathes of countryside without police cover.
Margaret and Mike Rogers, who keep 200 sheep near Widdecome on Dartmoor, say they no longer bother to report incidents to the police.
Instead they are now relying on the support of the Dartmoor Commoners Council.
Mr Spencer, a retired Acting Assistant Chief Constable with Devon and Cornwall, was taken on a tour of their hillside farm to see first hand the problems they encounter.
These include sheep worrying and rustling, attacks by dogs and thefts of equipment.
There are problems with drivers hitting animals and knocking off horse riders.
Said Margaret: “We report any cases to the Dartmoor Commoners Council and the welfare officer reports it to the police along with other reports from other farms.
“Most of the time when we report something nobody comes.”
Mrs Rogers said that the nearest police station was in Torquay – 30 miles away.
Their village has been hit by a number of thefts recently which include chain saws, quad bikes and even Land Rovers.
She said in some cases drones were being used to spy on farms to identify sheds and outbuildings that thieves come back to at night.
The Countryside Alliance has recently called on PCC candidates to give greater priority to the countryside following their worrying research into rural crime.
Mr Spencer said more police officers needed to be taken out from behind their desks and into the communities.
“If it’s equipment in sheds that’s stolen then it’s mostly someone’s living that’s been taken. The government is saying it plans to put more officers into the cities and is proposing to subsidise these extra officers. But it’s the rural areas that need the extra police and resources as well as the cities.
“These communities appear to have been abandoned and forgotten in the name of savings. They feel isolated and haven’t been reporting crime for the last six or seven years, which might indicate that they did not need extra policing.
“What I found on Dartmoor was quite alarming. Life is beginning to turn feral in that they are having to fend for themselves.”
Mr Spencer says that if elected he will increase the numbers of police on the streets and target rural areas to try and improve confidence in the local force.
