Wiltshire police to tackle 'terror of rural crime'

The rising levels of violence linked to rural crime such as agricultural machinery theft, hare coursing, and poaching have sparked concerns among authorities.

This has led to a commitment from police and crime commissioners from Wiltshire, Hampshire, and Thames Valley to make their counties hostile territories for those spreading fear.

The police and crime commissioners, along with MPs Kit Malthouse and Danny Kruger, and the head of the National Rural Crime Unit, Superintendent Andy Huddleston, discussed improved collaboration at a meeting in November.

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Wiltshire police and crime commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, said: "The escalating violence we have seen recently from criminals intent on spreading fear and terror in our rural communities is shocking and will not be allowed to continue.

"In recent weeks, both in Wiltshire and Hampshire, we have seen two incidents of vehicles being used as weapons by offenders who are determined to cause significant harm, both financially and physically, to our rural communities.

"We must ensure that the police are proactive in robustly enforcing the law to keep our rural communities safe and prevent further harm."

Mr Wilkinson highlighted the link between rural crime and organised crime groups and stressed the importance of not recognising borders in the fight against these criminals.

Its goal is to share intelligence and resources between the forces in Wiltshire, Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, and Gloucestershire to provide a comprehensive and co-ordinated response to rural crime.

Mr Wilkinson said: "I want to help build the capacity of police forces across the south of England - not just in the south-west - in order to better understand the networking of these organised criminal groups so that we can engage more proactively in enforcement, interdiction and disrupting operations when the intelligence and evidence allows."

Thames Valley police and crime commissioner, Matthew Barber, said: "Collaboration across borders is essential to creating a hostile environment for these criminals.

"I look forward to continuing our partnership with the PCCs of Hampshire and Wiltshire to ensure we protect rural communities across the Thames Valley."

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Hampshire and Isle of Wight police and crime commissioner, Donna Jones, said: "By working closely with Wiltshire and Thames Valley Police, alongside our partners and communities, we are sending a strong message: those who seek to spread fear and commit violent acts will find no safe haven here."

Operation Ragwort, a collaboration to combat rural crime, was formed last year between all police forces and police and crime commissioners in the South West.