The South Yorkshire Rural Crime Initiative has been launched in response to crimes such as anti-social behaviour, theft and vandalism that disproportionately affect rural areas.
The £443,000 grant has been launched by South Yorkshire Police (SYP) and funded by South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to further protect communities, businesses and farmers from further crime in rural areas.
South Yorkshire Police Chief Inspector Peter Spratt, the force’s rural crime lead said “Rural crime causes misery to our hardworking farmers, gamekeepers and landowners, leaving so many feeling isolated and intimidated. We will not tolerate this.”
Crime within rural communities like theft of machinery, fuel and crops plus damage to vehicles directly cause a wider issue in surrounding areas, the damage creates a direct delay to harvesting and reduces yields while destruction to infrastructure can compromise food safety and availability.
To reduce these problems SYP have proposed advice that the funding can be used to pay for aids such as CCTV cameras, security, lighting and drones to help assist the prevention of crime.
Kilvinder Vigurs, Deputy Mayor for Policing for South Yorkshire, said “This is why we made this funding available – to give farmers, landowners and rural residents the tools they need to safeguard their livelihoods and strengthen their resilience against crime.”
SYP will also be delivering heightened engagement and activity across the county to tackle rural crime. This includes working more closely with communities and partners to ensure tackling rural crime is ensured through a joined approach.
The National Farmers Union welcomes the funding and said “The NFU will continue to work with South Yorkshire Police and others and lobby for additional resources so officers can clamp down on the issue and offenders.
“I call on NFU members to apply for this funding and work with the police, continue to report incidents and feed in essential intelligence to help safeguard our businesses, communities and the countryside.”
More information and to check your eligibility for the financial support can be found at the South Yorkshire Rural Crime Initiative website .
If you have any information about rural crime or suspicious activity in your area, you can report rural and wildlife crimes online or call 101.