Cumbria Police plea to report rural crime
National Farmers Union (NFU) Mutual's latest crime report estimated the north-west of England incurred £2.9m in rural crime costs in 2024.The insurance firm said offenders had become "increasingly organised, serious and persistent" in recent years.Sgt McKirdy said there had been a historic "lack of confidence" in policing in rural areas.She said: "If they don't have any CCTV, if no-one's seen it, they might think 'we're not going to be able to do anything, anyway. In which case, what is the point?'""People have one bad experience and that kind of sticks with them."Letting it go unreported runs the risk of playing into the criminal's hands, Sgt McKirdy said.The force's rural crime team, which was established in 2023, also encouraged residents to report out-of-place people and vehicles.She said community intelligence, however innocuous, had helped the team track offenders."We're not always going to be able to attend every report there might be of a suspicious vehicle, but we need to know about it," Sgt McKirdy said.People can get in touch over the phone or online portals, she said, adding: "We'd rather know - or be told 10 times - than not be told at all."
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