Rural crime cost the SW £5.5m in 2013
Rural crime cost the South West economy an estimated £5.5 million in 2013 (a slight decrease from £5.6 million in 2012).
The figures are part of a UK-wide survey by NFU Mutual.
The leading rural insurer’s annual Rural Crime Survey shows the nationwide cost of rural crime totalled an estimated £44.5 million in 2013 – a rise of 5.2%.
The most common items targeted by thieves in the South West over the last 12 months were tools, quad bikes and machinery such as hay balers and ploughs.
More than half of staff interviewed from hundreds of NFU Mutual offices in rural communities around the UK also said they’d seen customers suffer repeat crimes or had high-value items stolen.
Although high-value thefts may be planned and highly organised, the number of stolen garden tools and ornaments indicates opportunist thieves continue to target gardens and outbuildings.
Jeremy Atkins, NFU Mutual Agent in Crediton, said: “The cost of claims in the South West may have dipped but the threat of crime remains as more high-value items are being stolen throughout the UK. That’s why it’s important to stay vigilant and fight rural crime.
“Our experience with people who live and work in rural areas of the South West clearly shows that theft is more than just a setback – it can be devastating for businesses and families.”
Police and Crime Commissioner Tony Hogg has warned that crimes against property are not the biggest issue in rural communities.
While acknowledging that property crime has a ‘significant impact on rural businesses and livelihoods’ Mr Hogg warned, this does not represent either the totality of rural crime or even the areas of greatest risk to rural communities.
Figures published in the 2013/2014 Peninsula Strategic Assessment show that safeguarding issues, especially domestic abuse, and violent crime (including the influence of alcohol on crime) represent by far the greatest threat in rural areas of Devon and Cornwall.
“My Police and Crime Plan places a strong emphasis on identifying and addressing these issues wherever they occur and, in particular, I and my team are focusing on the influence of alcohol on crime and anti-social behaviour,” said Mr Hogg.
“The challenge in rural areas is how to ensure that victims are well supported and confident enough to report crime, and how to effectively police violence and alcohol-related crime.”
That said the NFU Mutual data suggests a worrying increase in rural property crime in Devon and Cornwall compared to other south west areas and nationally.
“What is not clear is why we are seeing such an increase in rural property crime and we know that preventing it presents some unique challenges,” said Mr Hogg.
“It is one of my priorities to encourage and enable communities to play a more significant role in tackling crime and making communities safer.
“I have made a commitment to protect frontline policing by maintaining officer numbers above 3,000 in Devon and Cornwall and to provide a level of resilience in rural communities to keep them safe but I also want to work with those communities to help them to help themselves.”
