Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to encourage cross-police force collaboration to tackle rural crime.

Collaboration is a key tool in helping the police become more responsive, more efficient and more effective at tackling crime. Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables now have a statutory duty to consider and review collaboration agreements with other forces. The Government, through the police transformation fund, has also invested in collaborative projects as well as funding to champion a better understanding of crime in rural areas.

The election of Police and Crime Commissioners has given communities, including those in rural areas, a strong voice in determining how police resources are allocated to tackle the crimes that matter most to them.