How to report a rural crime before it escalates
CLA representative for the National Rural Crime Network, Lucy Charman, explains what landowners should do if they encounter unusual activity in the countryside
Trespassers recently broke into RAF Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and damaged a pair of Voyager jet engines with spray paint. The vandals caused millions of pounds worth of damage without being detected at the time which, during a time of such political uncertainty, is a timely reminder for anyone to report activity that looks unusual or out of the ordinary in the correct way.
Rural sites are often the location for Critical National Infrastructure (CNI) (such as military bases, transmitters, towers and satellites, power stations, reservoirs, railway lines, airports etc) and it is therefore highly likely that the surrounding land will belong to private landowners. Landowners who really are the eyes and ears of the countryside and know better than most if something is out of the ordinary.
There is a lot to be said about instincts and gut feel when observing behaviour that is out of the ordinary. In cases like this, the term ‘policemen’s intuition’ could even be replaced by a ‘farmers instinct’ (although this could also include predictions on the weather and where the sheep are too).
Reporting crime
No one wants to waste the precious time of emergency service operators and for that reason all crime reports are triaged and categorised through the police call handling system, ensuring the most effective allocation of resource.
However, small pieces of information pulled together through the work of dedicated control room analysts can help to build a significant picture, demonstrating a pattern, location or profile that can be used to disrupt criminal behaviour and link crimes together. With this in mind, observations that should be reported include:
- Unknown vehicles entering yards overnight
- Evidence of equipment or gateways being tampered with
- Lights in strange locations after dark
- People loitering in a remote location
Crime in action
It might seem obvious, but if a suspected crime is happening right in front of you, you must report it using the 999 telephone number. Sharing a What3Words or accurate location, and a direction of travel if relevant, are also very useful to authorities.
This will provide vital information to the call handler and reduce delays. In addition, if a crime has taken just taken place and you have recorded vehicle details you should also call 999 to report it.
Evidence of a crime or intelligence to share
If you find evidence of a recent offence but don’t know any further details you can report it using 101 or online.
Some forces have a DISC system (a method of sharing information with businesses and communities), WhatsApp or other communications methods which can also be used for sharing details in a non-emergency situation. You can also contact your neighbourhood policing officer or crimestoppers-uk.org on 0800 555 111.
