Campaign highlights efforts to tackle crime in North Wales’ rural communities

Efforts to tackle crime in rural communities across North Wales have been highlighted as part of a week-long campaign.

National Rural Crime Week, which takes place until Sunday 24 September, helps to raise awareness and understanding on the impact of crime in rural areas.

Organised by the National Rural Crime Network the week-long campaign is also a way of highlighting the work that the UK’s Police and Crime Commissioners and their Forces do to tackle rural crime.

Rural and wildlife crime can be very broadly classed as any crime and anti-social behaviour occurring in rural areas.

Across North Wales several initiatives have been introduced in bid to crackdown on rural crime and to help those impacted within the community.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Andy Dunbobbin’s Police and Crime Plan for the region focuses on four categories used to best describe rural crime: agriculture, equine, wildlife and heritage.

These four areas have been highlighted at several events this year, including a celebration took place at the National Eisteddfod in Boduan to recognise the contributions and achievements of north Wales Police’s Rural Crime Team.

Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman, current PCC Andy Dunbobbin, former North Wales Police PCC’s, Arfon Jones and Winston Roddick and Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) and National Farmers Union Cymru representatives attended the event.

In May farmers and their families from across North-West Wales come together in Caernarfon for an event on Cyber Safety and Crime Prevention looking at ways our rural communities can better protect themselves from crime.

The event was sponsored by the charity for farmers and their families, Tir Dewi; North Wales Police; the North Wales Police and Community Trust; and the Office of the PCC.

In April, Andy Dunbobbin supported the launch of the Wales Wildlife & Rural Crime Strategy 2023-2025, a strategy jointly produced by Wales’ four police forces and Welsh Government, at the Wales Wildlife & Rural Crime Conference at the Royal Welsh Showground.

The strategy focuses on crime affecting the agricultural community such as theft, livestock attacks by dogs, arson and burglary and outlines priority areas for rural policing officers.

North Wales Police also recently launched their We Don’t Buy Crime campaign with the support of the PCC.

This campaign is a cornerstone of the plan to fight crime in rural areas and, through the initiative, officers are encouraging farmers to make much greater use of SmartWater DNA marking to protect farm equipment.

Applied and registered with a national register, SmartWater allows stolen equipment and machinery to be linked to the owner.

The Rural Crime Team have developed a specific Rural Crime Prevention Pack where we provide farmers and rural business with SmartWater forensic marking, robust deterrent signage, and tailored crime prevention advice.

Over the coming years the team at North Wales Police aims to distribute packs to every farm in North Wales, numbering around 7,000.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Andy Dunbobbin commented: “National Rural Crime Action week is an opportunity to shine a light on crime in rural areas and highlight the excellent work undertaken by North Wales Police and their Rural Crime Team to combat criminality in our rural communities.

“Key to a lot of our work to cut rural crime is working with communities to build their resilience.

“The more police, farming unions, the agricultural community, and residents of rural areas work together to stop rural and wildlife crime, the more effective we will be, and the sooner we can help put an end to these types of offences.

“I am deeply committed to our rural communities across North Wales.

“They are vital for our economy, for our wellbeing, and for our unique language and culture – both its heritage and its future.”

Find out more about NWP’s Rural Crime Team here: www.northwales.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/rc/rural-crime