Crimestoppers join seminar to close the gate on rural crime this week

Crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), and members of rural communities will soon join forces in a key seminar called “Closing the Gate on Criminality” to combat rural crime.

Thursday 10 November will see an all-day event at the Kettering Conference Centre at the ACPO Rural Crime Seminar, featuring a key speech by the Rt Hon Nick Herbert MP, Minister of State for Policing and Criminal Justice.

Crimestoppers’ Deputy Chief Executive Dave Cording said: “We are pleased co-host this seminar, as part of our ongoing campaign to help fight crime together with the police and communities.

“To tackle the problem of rural crime together, we need to hear the community’s experiences and learn more ways to protect ourselves, so we can “close the gate” on criminality in rural areas.”

Theft of farm machinery and equipment, oil, diesel, batteries, metal for scrap value, tools, quad bikes, agricultural chemicals, tractors, and even livestock such as sheep adds up. An estimated 50 million to 70 million worth of plant and agricultural machinery is stolen nationally every year, and only 5% of this stolen property is ever recovered.

Stealing this valuable equipment may have a lasting effect on its victims, who may be unable to carry on their day-to-day work without them. Thieves see it as easy to steal from outbuildings on farms, due to limited surveillance and lack of street lighting away from urban areas.

Dave Cording continued: “The recession has also increased pressure on rural communities and this makes it more important that the public, who may have vital knowledge, have a safe and anonymous way to give information through Crimestoppers.

“Recent successful campaigns to fight rural crime include Farmers Fighting Crime Initiative and Automatic Number Plate Recognition Systems, which can track unfamiliar vehicles in rural areas. We will also look at the threat of travelling criminals who commit rural theft, and the importance of information and intelligence. We are very proud of the results of these campaigns and intend to build on their success next week.

“We understand that rural communities are close-knit and trust is an important part of rural life, so people may be aware of who are committing these crimes, perhaps a neighbour or work colleague, but don’t feel comfortable giving this information directly to the police. This is where Crimestoppers can help, by providing contact details for people to pass on information about crimes anonymously.

“This is also the first joint event we have done with ACPO, and we are very pleased to work with our corporate supporters also. It is a great opportunity for all of us to spread awareness as communities, partners, businesses and manufacturers. This inaugural national event will be the biggest rural crime seminar in the UK that we know of – and we hope it is beginning of many more equally successful events as we continue to help empower communities to give information on this vital area.”

For further information please contact Nina Romain on: 0208 835 3737 or email: communications@crimestoppers-uk.org. More information on the seminar is also available at: www.acporuralcrime.org

• Crimestoppers is an independent charity which helps the police to solve crimes, making communities safer. It does this by operating the 24/7 telephone number 0800 555 111 which people can ring to pass on information about crimes anonymously. They can also use our ‘giving information’ form via our website on: www.crimestoppers-uk.org
• Around 23 people are arrested and charged every day as a result of information given to Crimestoppers.
• Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, it has received over a million actionable calls, resulting in over 108,000 arrests and charges. Over 115 million worth of goods has been recovered and over 213 million worth of drugs has been seized.
• In 2005, Crimestoppers launched the UK’s Most Wanted on its website which allows the public to view images of criminals and pass on vital information about their whereabouts. It has been highly successful with over 1,000 arrests to date.
• Crimestoppers UK was founded by Lord Ashcroft, KCMG, Chairman of Trustees, who in 1988 launched Crimestoppers in the Metropolitan Police area. Crimestoppers’ ‘call to action’ is built on a three-way partnership between the business community, the police and the media.