I attended a ‘Rural Matters’ meeting earlier this month organised by local farmer Tony Rea. This regular public meeting brought together local police, farmers, and Police and Crime Commissioner Roger Hirst to discuss pressing matters.
The discussion focused on illegal traveller sites, hare coursing and fly-tipping which cause many issues for local residents and concern for their safety.
I have spoken in Parliament several times to highlight incidents of rural crime.The good news is the Government is now reviewing whether trespass should be made a criminal offence. Also, as a result of successful lobbying, we have nine more police officers in our district with another 12 to come. In addition, a further seven will be deployed specifically to tackle rural crime.
I will continue to work with government, local authorities and the police to make sure rural matters are addressed.
Thank you to Mr Rea for organising such a constructive and insightful meeting.
