Only 0.4% of police dedicated to rural crime teams as Lib Dems demand “Countryside Copper Guarantee”

15 Apr 2025

EMBARGO: 22.30 Tuesday 15th April 2025

Only 0.4% of police are dedicated to rural crime teams in England and Wales, Freedom of Information requests by the Liberal Democrats reveal
The Liberal Democrats announce call for new Countryside Copper Guarantee, which would include a dedicated rural crime police lead

The Liberal Democrats have today announced their plans for a “Countryside Copper Guarantee” as part of a crackdown on rural crime.

The proposals would see dedicated rural crime teams or specialists embedded in every police force - including a dedicated rural crime police lead for communities to report rural crimes to. The party is also calling for police forces to be given better equipment to track rural crime including drones, and training for 999 call handlers to better understand rural crimes.

It comes as a series of Freedom of Information requests by the party revealed that fewer than 619 police officers and staff were assigned to dedicated rural crime teams across 37 police forces in England and Wales last year - accounting for just 0.4% of their overall workforce.

Rural crime teams use specialist knowledge, equipment and skills to stop and solve many specific types of crime that are unique to the countryside, including livestock and equipment theft, hare coursing and fly-tipping. Yet Norfolk has only two dedicated full-time officers and staff deployed to rural crime teams, while Surrey has three. This accounts for just 0.1% of both forces’ overall workforce.

Rural crime teams are similarly under-resourced in places like Devon and Cornwall or Hertfordshire - with both police forces having just 4 officers and staff dedicated to rural crime. Shockingly, four police forces admitted to having no dedicated rural crime teams at all, including Nottinghamshire and the West Midlands. Both Conservative and Labour governments have failed to bring forward a strategy on tackling rural crime, despite the Liberal Democrats pushing for one since 2023. NFU Mutual estimates that the cost of rural crime increased to a staggering £52.8 million in 2023 - up nearly 22% since 2020.

The Liberal Democrats are now calling for a Countryside Copper Guarantee which would see properly-resourced, dedicated rural crime teams or specialists embedded in every police force. This rural crime crackdown would include:

A dedicated rural crime police lead- meaning a named police contact for communities as part of properly-funded dedicated rural crime teams, with specialists embedded in every police force
Training for 999 control room staff to better understand rural crime
Better access to the technologies needed to detect and deter rural crime, including drones
Ensuring rural crime officers can properly communicate with the communities they serve, for quick intelligence-sharing and reporting.

This would be funded by scrapping Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) so the savings could be invested in frontline policing, including ensuring that every police force has a properly resourced rural crime team. It comes after the Government last week announced new measures on neighbourhood policing, which failed to mention or address the unique threats of rural crime.

Commenting, Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey said:

“For too long, our countryside has been plagued by rural crime, from hare coursing to livestock theft. This data reveals an ongoing and shocking neglect of our rural communities when it comes to dealing with these crimes.

“To have so few officers dedicated to tackling this issue is an utter disgrace. The loss of community policing can be felt in communities up and down the country, but the situation is particularly stark in rural areas. The needs of these communities cannot be ignored for any longer.

“Liberal Democrats are clear that the scourge of rural crime needs to be taken seriously - which is why the Government must implement our Countryside Copper Guarantee and finally give our rural communities the support they deserve.”

ENDS

Notes to Editor:

This data was uncovered by a FOI request to all police forces in England and Wales. Their responses, which can be accessed here, answered 'how many police officers and police staff were assigned to your Rural Crime Team, in FTE, on the 31st December 2024'

Data on overall police force workforce strength can be found at Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales: 30 September 2024.