Majority of rural voters think reporting crime to police is 'waste of time'

The overwhelming majority of rural communities see crime as a significant problem in their area and half believe police are not taking crime seriously, a new survey reveals.

According to the annual survey by the Countryside Alliance, 97% of those surveyed from across the UK said that rural crime was a 'significant' issue in their community.

The survey of over 2,000 people found that 49% did not think the police take rural crime seriously, and 90% had not seen any officers in their area in the last week.

Asked if they felt police could be relied on “to be there when you need them”, only 16% of those surveyed said they agreed.

Meanwhile, more than half of those who had reported crimes to police said they were dissatisfied with the response from officers.

Almost two thirds - 63% - of those who did not report the crime they experienced to the police said they didn’t do so because it “was a waste of time”.