VICTIMS FACE ‘DEVASTATION’ OF LIVELIHOODS AMID SHARP RISE IN RURAL CRIME
Date of alert:
Tuesday, 14 March 2023
Crime Ref:
Force:
National
The Metro reports that rural crime is on the rise as a combination of pressures is fuelling thefts in rural areas across the nation, according to new research from NFU Mutual
The cost of rural crime, which includes thefts of quad bikes, livestock and fuel, rose more than 40% in the first quarter of 2022 following two successive years of falls, according to research.
One victim told how her family is now paying a private security firm to monitor their land after having £60,000 worth of high-tech kit stolen by a suspected organised crime gang.
This comes as farmers and landowners are already facing spiralling operational costs and ongoing labour shortages.
David Exwood, vice president of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said that the rise in thefts has continued into this year, propelled by the cost-of-living crisis and the war in Ukraine.
