Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what additional resources they have provided to police forces to combat the increase in organised crime in rural areas.

The Home Office ensures that the police have the resources they need. Ultimately, it is for Chief Constables and directly elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs), and Mayors with PCC functions, to make operational decisions based on their local knowledge and experience. This includes how to allocate resources to reduce levels of organised crime.

Chief Constables, PCCs and Mayors with PCC functions have provided significant resource to the Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU) network by allocating 725 extra officers to ROCUs between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2023. Those officers are tackling the range of SOC threats, helping to reduce crime and keep communities safe.

The Government also recognises that there can be particular challenges in responding to rural crime and welcomed the rural and wildlife crime strategy published by the National Police Chiefs’ Council in September 2022.

Additionally, the Home Office provided £200,000 for the National Rural Crime Unit to tackle rural crime including the theft of farming or construction machinery, livestock theft, rural fly tipping, rural fuel theft and equine crime.

The Government is committed to tackling the threat from Serious and Organised Crime (SOC). It has recently published a new SOC strategy that commits to reducing SOC in the UK by disrupting and dismantling organised crime groups and networks operating in and against the UK.