Rural crime under spotlight in Snetterton

Rural crime was under the spotlight at a special meeting hosted by Norfolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner yesterday evening.

The ‘Barnstorming’ event, held at World Horse Welfare in Snetterton, was attended by local residents and members of the farming community from across the county.

The event was hosted by PCC Lorne Green who, alongside a panel of experts, was questioned about a number of rural crime related issues including hare-coursing, lead theft and illegal metal detecting.

It was the second time the PCC had hosted such an event where police also gave an update on work of the Operation Randall team – the Constabulary’s ongoing campaign to tackle rural crime.

“When I campaigned to be PCC for Norfolk I pledged to support rural communities by listening to and responding to the needs of people in the countryside,” said Lorne

“The aim of my Barnstorming events is to give people who live and work in the rural community the opportunity to find out more about what our police are doing to address their concerns about police visibility, to tackle feelings of isolation, help them feel more engaged with their police service and encourage the reporting of rural crime.

“It was encouraging to see such a positive response at the meeting from people living and working in the Breckland area and beyond about what the police are doing to tackle rural crime.

“I will however, continue to take up any crime and policing concerns people in Norfolk may have to ensure they have all they need from the police to feel safer living or working in their local area.”

The Barnstorming event is one of a number of initiatives Lorne has introduced in his role as Norfolk’s PCC to address rural crime.

Once elected to office Lorne set about fulfilling his pledge to tackle rural crime by joining the National Rural Crime Network, holding engagement events and commissioned Norfolk Constabulary to develop a new Rural Policing Strategy to respond even more effectively to crimes that are unique to and take place in rural communities.

In autumn 2016 Lorne hosted a Rural Crime Summit where, alongside PCCs for Suffolk, Cambridgeshire and Lincolnshire, he signed a Rural Crime Concordat pledging to work across county borders to tackle the crime issues affecting rural communities.

‘Supporting Rural Communities’ is also a key priority in the PCC’s Police and Crime Plan.