Rural policing is in a 'crisis' with many forces lacking dedicated rural officers, ringfenced funding, or basic kits, according to FOI requests by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).

The CLA found five forces with no rural crime team and eight with fewer than ten dedicated rural officers. Funding disparities are significant, ranging from £900,000 to just £1,250. Rural crime rates have surged 32% since 2011, ahead of urban areas' 24% increase.

In 2022, rural crime cost the UK £49.5m, heavily impacting farming businesses. The CLA's FOI requests to 36 police forces in England and Wales, with 20 responding, revealed critical equipment shortages, including torches, ANPR cameras, drones, and thermal spotters.

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CLA president Victoria Vyvyan declared rural policing in 'crisis,' highlighting a lack of national coordination and essential gear to tackle rising rural crime.

Many forces like Cleveland, Derbyshire, and Lancashire, report no high-powered torches. North Wales, Leicestershire, and Northamptonshire lack mobile ANPR cameras, and Cleveland has no 4x4 vehicles or rural drones. Forces such as South Yorkshire, Gwent, and Derbyshire have only one thermal spotter.

Rural residents feel neglected, with CLA urging political parties to implement a Rural Crime Equipment Pack and ensure central funding and annual reviews. Despite rural areas comprising 90% of Britain's landmass, many police forces have minimal dedicated rural officers. For example, Durham, Nottingham, West Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Cleveland have no dedicated rural officers or teams.

Even where rural crime units exist, they form a small fraction of the force. South Yorkshire has 92 rural officers out of over 3,000, while Leicestershire has eight out of 2,252, and Suffolk four out of 1,352. Many forces lack policies to prevent rural officers from being diverted to urban issues and have minimal ringfenced resources for rural policing.

Funding for rural crime teams varies widely, with Cambridgeshire receiving £961,830, compared to Leicestershire's £1,250 and Northamptonshire's zero internal funding. The CLA calls for a fixed Service Level Agreement with ringfenced resources to protect rural communities.

Forces like Dorset, Wiltshire, Gwent, and North Wales lack tags to track rural crimes such as hare coursing and machinery theft, hindering trend analysis. Cases including fly-tipping and poaching are often poorly attended by officers. Additionally, response times to 999 calls in rural areas exceed targets, with delays up to 27 minutes in Bedfordshire.

The CLA stresses that without proper tagging systems and central funding, rural crime will remain under addressed. They urge political parties to provide assurances and take action to tackle rural crime effectively.