Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to provide new police officers with (a) tools and (b) training to tackle violent rural crime.

This Government is committed to ensuring there are consistent, high standards for training in the police. This will help to maintain public confidence in the police and ensure the workforce is equipped to respond to the crime challenges they face every day, including in rural communities.

Rural and wildlife crimes can have devastating consequences for our natural environments and countryside communities. This Government is committed to reducing crime in rural areas and anyone exploiting or deliberately harming British wildlife or rural settings should face the full force of the law.

Under our Safer Streets Mission, rural communities will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent farm theft and fly-tipping. We are also committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to fend off the theft and re-sale of high-value equipment, particularly for use in an agricultural setting.