Wiltshire farmers and land owners urged to protect themselves from thieves
PCC Philip Wilkinson met with famers and land owners to discuss improvements
Last updated 11th Jun 2024
Wiltshire's rural communities are being urged to do everything in their power to protect themselves from organised crime gangs operating in the county.
Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson told Greatest Hits Radio that crimes need to be reported and that the Rural Crime Team at Wiltshire Police can aid them in setting up preventative measures.
The PCC spoke to farmers, land owners and people living in rural communities at the first ever Wiltshire Rural Crime Forum in Tidworth, where he took questions and discussed improvements in tackling rural crime with them.
Mr Wilkinson said the forum was vital in helping him know what we, his customers, want from the police force.
"I need to know what our residents think," he said, adding: "I need to know how aware they are of the threat, where they still have concerns, and I need to engage with all of those partners, not just Wiltshire Police, but local authority, who can meet the demand."
Better collaboration needed
The PCC said rural crime demands a comprehensive response - but it's not just down to the police: "It's for all of us to do our bit," he said.
Mr Wilkinson told GHR that he's deeply involved with the farming community but that some have failed to take necessary precautions in preventing crime on their land.
"When I say did you take the keys out the tractor last night? No, forgot. Did you close the gates? Did you take the GPS off? Did you lock this? Did you lock that? Some do, some don't.
"Then when they are robbed and burgled, they say 'whoops, we could have done it better'," he said.
The PCC's calling on farmers and rural communities to work with the police to make joint improvements.
"It's at every level from top to bottom we can work better, together. We can do things better individually and collectively."
Farmers takeaway's
We spoke to three farmers about their experience at the forum.
One told us it's "great to see rural policing and rural crime is actually going up the agenda and it gives us confidence that it's on their radar."
Another said that while the expansion of the rural crime team from four to six officers was welcomed, the team needed a dedicated lead, with current lead Inspector Andy Lemon splitting his time between the rural crime team and being a Neighbourhood Inspector.
The third farmer we spoke to said he was pleased that the PCC had listened to what they had to say.
The general consensus among the three was that confidence in the force's approach to tackling rural crime had been improved, one of them said it's crucial rural crime doesn't get left too far behind others crime types.
"The problem is that rural crime will always be looked at as a weak partner in comparison to things like drug running, sexual abuse, things like that - and rightly so, they need to take a priority - but we need to stop being a poor relationship because it impacts lives and businesses more so than perhaps other industries."