The roundtable discussion, chaired by NFU Vice-president Robyn Munt, made the case that funding must accurately reflect the true cost of delivering effective and equitable policing in rural communities.
The event brought together Police and Crime Commissioners, the National Rural Crime Network, the National Rural Crime Unit, the Rural Services Network and farm insurers NFU Mutual.
NFU Mutual’s figures estimate that rural crime cost the UK £44.1 million in 2024. While this decreased by 16.5% compared with 2023, demonstrating that greater coordination between police forces can deliver tangible change, the continuously high figures underline the scale and seriousness of rural crime.
“Everyone has a right to feel safe in their own home, and for their businesses not to be disrupted.”
NFU Vice-president Robyn Munt
NFU Vice-president Robyn Munt reiterated that too many farming businesses are “targeted relentlessly by criminals who see our countryside as easy pickings”.
“These farms are also homes. Farming families are left feeling terrified, isolated and vulnerable at the hands of these dangerous criminals.
“The roundtable was in agreement – this has to stop. Everyone has a right to feel safe in their own home, and for their businesses not to be disrupted.
“We know how underfunded and overstretched rural policing currently is, and that is why the NFU is calling on the government to recognise the unique pressures facing rural police forces. Government must ensure that funding is distributed fairly so that the police can put a stop to these heinous criminals.”
Powerful personal testimonies
The discussions also underscored the human and business impacts of rural crime, and the power in demonstrating this in the drive for fairer funding.
NFU Bedfordshire County Chair Freya Morgan, who runs an arable farm in Bedfordshire, delivered a powerful and personal account of her own experiences, which span from hare coursing to vehicle theft. She said: “Rural crime is real, we live in it, we see it. The farm is not only our place of work, it’s our home.”