National Rural Crime Survey Reveals the Scale of Rural Crime

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The NGO applauds the National Rural Crime Survey report – more than 17,000 people living and working in rural areas throughout England and Wales were surveyed – but said the scale of rural crime came as no real surprise to gamekeepers. The findings suggest the true cost of crime in rural areas could exceed £800 million, which is 21 times higher than previous figures suggested.

A spokesman for the National Gamekeepers’ Organisation said: “We are very pleased that the National Rural Crime Network Survey has quantified the true extent of rural crime. We hope that revealing the huge financial cost of crime in the countryside will act as a wake-up call to ensure that police forces have sufficient funds to deal with what is undeniably a massive issue for many of those in rural areas.”

He added: “Our members are certainly no strangers to the effects of rural crime and the day-to-day threat it poses to their livelihoods and physical well-being. Gamekeepers routinely suffer at the hands of criminals operating in the countryside, be it in the shape of theft, criminal damage or intimidation. The NGO hopes therefore that the survey findings will open the eyes of those with the power to tackle the problem.

“The NGO has always considered rural crime to be a cause of concern. To that end, the NGO has been working closely with the police and legislators to develop effective solutions to stamp it out. The NGO ran the UK’s first ever national conference on dealing with poaching – which is the most prolific wildlife crime – and has devoted considerable resources in recent years to training around 2,000 police officers in how better to get to grips with rural crime, and wildlife crime in particular.”

To download the full National Rural Crime Survey report visit http://www.nationalruralcrimenetwork.net/research/internal/national-rural-crimes-survey-2015/

The National Gamekeepers' Organisation represents the gamekeepers of England and Wales. It defends and promotes gamekeeping, gamekeepers and ensures high standards throughout the profession. It was founded in 1997 by a group of gamekeepers who felt that their profession was threatened by public misunderstanding and poor representation. The NGO has around 15,000 members. www.nationalgamekeepers.org.uk

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