Surrey Police as part of its efforts to tackle rural crime earlier this month.
皇家华人welcomes this pledge and is calling on the force to work with its members to set clear rural crime priorities and objectives to help deliver positive short and long-term results for people in the county.
Surrey farmers have been victims of numerous serious rural crime incidents in recent months including suspected arson attacks on barns, thefts, attacks on sheep and fly-tipping.
Such incidents, which have been happening for years, are costing individual farm businesses thousands of pounds, causing severe animal suffering, blighting the countryside, costing tax-payers money and impacting on farmers鈥� ability to feed the nation.
There are concerns that this is part of an ongoing rise in rural crime.
皇家华人has held meetings with Surrey Police with the aim of working together to give farmers greater protection.
Farmers need better protection
NFU County Adviser for Surrey Harriet Henrick said: 鈥淲e welcome Surrey Police鈥檚 pledge to work with us, but we need to see action.
鈥淩ural crime incidents in Surrey have been escalating and farmers in Surrey have become victims to some serious crimes. They need better protection.
鈥淲e want to work with the police to set clear objectives and targets for tackling rural crime and helping the rural community with anti-theft technology to support the police.
鈥淲e need better engagement and reporting from both the police and the rural community, so this is a positive step.
鈥淥ur members need reassurance that when crimes are reported they will be taken seriously and investigated and will be given support and advice on what they can do to prevent such crimes from happening in the future."
The estimates rural crime cost the UK 拢49.5 million in 2022, up 22.1% on the previous year.
In South East England, the rural crime cost is estimated to be 拢9.3 million in 2022, an increase of 24.1% on 2021.
The rural insurer has also just released figures showing that farm animals worth an estimated 拢2.4 million were severely injured or killed by dogs last year, up nearly 30% compared to 2022.
Inspector Darren Benge said: 鈥淲e鈥檝e undertaken a significant amount of activity to target and disrupt wildlife, environmental, heritage and agricultural crimes. Even still, we know that rural crime is underreported in the county, leaving many people feeling unsafe in their own homes. No one should be made to feel this way.
鈥淩ural crime incidents in Surrey have been escalating and farmers in Surrey have become victims to some serious crimes. They need better protection."
County Adviser Harriet Henrick
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鈥淩ural crimes are defined as offences that relate to farms, agriculture, wildlife, the environment, and heritage sites, where they are a target due to their isolation or rural location.
鈥淏y working together collaboratively with our neighbouring forces and rural communities, I am confident that we can address the issues and offenders that we all have in common and find solutions that will make the South East a safer place for our rural community to live and work.鈥�