Photo: LET

With yesterday's launch of the National Rural Crime Survey, Lancashire's Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw is urging those who live and work in the county's rural communities to have their say.

The survey aims to find out the public's perceptions of rural policing as well as their views on crime and anti-social behaviour. It will also focus on the impact of crime to households and businesses in rural communities.

With previous surveys suggesting that rural crime is underreported, this year will look at understanding why this has been the case and how to increase the reporting of crimes in rural areas. In Lancashire residents will also be asked about ways they would like to see the police interact with them and help keep their communities safe.

Said Mr Grunshaw: "This survey is all about ensuring members of our rural communities get their voices heard. I want to know more about the sorts of crime people are experiencing, whether they are reporting it to the police as well as how they want to engage.

"Since 2010, Lancashire Constabulary have had to make savings of almost £84 million a year which has resulted in the loss of around 800 officers. This has meant a lot of changes to the way we deliver the service but we still need to get a clear picture of the experiences of crime and policing in our rural communities to allocate resources according to the demands across the whole county.

"Previous surveys have suggested that crime in rural areas is under-reported and I want to understand if this is the case in Lancashire and if it is, why? Protecting rural communities is as much a priority for me as it is policing our more urban towns and cities and I hope residents will take the time to complete this survey to further add to the police's understanding of the personal, social and economic cost of rural crime."

The survey is run through the National Rural Crime Network (NRCN) which is made up of 28 Police and Crime Commissioners, including Lancashire as well as police forces across the country and other organisations with links to rural issues.

The NRCN Chair is Julia Mulligan who added: “The aim of the National Rural Crime Network is to see greater recognition and understanding of the problems and impact of crime in rural communities so more can be done to help them be safe – and feel safe. In order to achieve that, we need to know the true picture of crime and anti-social behaviour that residents and businesses face.”

The survey is available now at: http://www.nationalruralcrimenetwork.net/survey
and the NRCN’s website is http://www.nationalruralcrimenetwork.net