POLICE chiefs have urged residents to report incidents amid claims that countryside crime is falling under the radar in Teesdale.
The Rural Policing Statement for 2020, which sets out Durham Police’s policy towards tackling crime in the countryside, indicates that rural residents are less likely to report an incident because they feel officers would not
be able to respond satisfactorily.
Speaking in Middleton-in-Teesdale on Friday, acting Police Crime and Victims’ Commissioner Steve White said he is keen to “get the message across” that unless crime is reported, the police cannot act.
The plea comes as one Teesdale farmer, who wants to remain anonymous because of a fear of reprisals, has appealed to police to arrange a meeting with victims of rural crime to hear concerns about “organised gangs” preying on the isolated community.
The farmer claimed there are more incidents taking place than are being recorded by police. He added: “There’s a lot of crime going on without it being reported in this area. People are worried that if they do report it, there is a chance they will be targeted further.
“There’s also a lot of people who have lost trust in what the police can do.
“I know the police are stretched and they have a lot on their hands but we [farming communities] are left vulnerable and I know there are ways we can work together to try to stop this.”
There were a number of thefts from farms in the Teesdale area last week alone with a Honda 450 quad bike stolen from Eggleston during the night of Saturday, October 12, and Sunday, October 13. On Monday, October 14, a twin axle trailer was taken from Barningham. Thieves also made off with a Suzuki 500 King quad bike from the Wolsingham and Hamsterley area.
Mr White, who has taken over the role of crime commissioner from Ron Hogg due to long-term illness, said: “This is a classic example of what we are talking about when we say rural crime.
“I would welcome a meeting with this gentleman as we need to combat this feeling of being isolated and cut off. We welcome people reporting crime – the more we know, the more we can tackle the issue.”
Teesdale police inspector Ed Turner said he would look into the matter and will contact the farmer directly.
Mr White was in Teesdale last week to launch the annual rural crime statement.
He said: “As a rural police force, Durham Constabulary faces a wide range of challenges within its rural communities, notably in its deeply rural areas. It is often different to the kind of crime which exists in more urban, and other rural environments, which we all need to work together to
address. The crime and incident rates in the deepest rural areas of County Durham and Darlington are much lower than for the force area as a whole.”
The rural crime statement said there were 104.5 crimes per 1,000 people across the force area, but for the Teesdale police area the figure dropped to 44.1 – a slight rise from 2018/19.
Mr White added: “If people are telling us about crime then we can do something about it. This is why it is a real priority for us to give people living in a rural area the knowledge that we are there for them and that they are a priority.
“A large part of the county is rural and Ed [Insp Turner] and his team have a huge area to cover – geographically about half the county. It is important to look at getting the message across that we need it to be reported so we can act on it.
“When we talk about rural crime one of the last things people think about is domestic violence but it is more significant because of the isolation of the area and are relatively closed communities and it is vital that we can give victims the support they need to speak out.”
Working with partner organisations and residents will continue to be a police priority for the coming year, in
addition to supporting Ruralwatch (formerly known as Farmwatch. Facebook and WhatsApp is also being used to help combat crime with residents and police easily sharing information via the apps.
The police will also be investing in Utass (Upper Teesdale Agricultural Support Services) in Middleton-in-Teesdale,
Mr White added: “We have just agreed some funding with Utass for an employee looking at a sustainable future because it is a strong organisational force in the community and it is helping with what we are doing.”
Diane Spark, project manager at Utass, said: “Utass has worked in partnership with the police for many years and we are both delighted and enormously grateful to have received their support for our strategic development officer post.
“Once appointed the new Utass team member will oversee the process of exploring new ways of working with the overall aim of maximising the sustainability of our organisation. This will help us to continue the work we do to keep our communities and people safe” .
Previous rural police initiatives include purchasing a fleet of drones to help monitor the area. Joint training of police, fire and rescue officers and members of mountain rescue has now been undertaken and a post of drone manager introduced.
