A pleasure to meet with NFU President Tom Bradshaw this morning at the launch of the NFU’s 2025 Rural Crime Report.
Whilst progress has been made in tackling rural crime there is still much more to be done. Speaking to farmers across the constituency we continue to see significant issues with regards to equipment and machinery theft, including GPS, and in particular hare coursing, which is a far more serious issue than one might expect with its links to organised crime and the threat of serious violence that comes with it.
We still need to see changes to the Police Allocation Formula, which would then see improved funding for Cambridgeshire Constabulary and this better resources for the Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT). The Government’s Neighbourhood Policing Plan fails to cover rural crime and so dedicated resourcing is essential in order to make further progress.
I will continue to push for improved legislation and police resourcing to tackle the type of crimes that blight our rural communities.
