Why crime policy needs a rural lens

Why crime policy needs a rural lens

Looking beyond the rural “idyll”

Last year, I contributed to NICRE’s evidence submission on rural crime to the Defra-led taskforce on delivering the Government’s missions in rural areas. One of the clearest messages from that work was this: crime in rural areas is still too often misunderstood or overlooked entirely. This includes the impact on rural businesses, where crime can disrupt operations, increase costs and affect confidence to invest and grow.

Crime affects people’s daily lives in very real ways - financially, psychologically and socially. But it is still commonly seen as an urban issue, with rural areas viewed as largely crime-free. That perception doesn’t reflect reality, and it has consequences for how policy and policing are designed.

Why a rural perspective matters

Despite commitments to “rural proof” policy, there remains a strong urban focus in how crime and policing are approached.

Recent examples highlight this. The Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee does not refer to rural areas, and the Policing Reform White Paper mentions them only briefly. Much of the language used focuses on towns, cities and high streets, with little recognition of how crime plays out in rural settings.

While some crimes are shared across rural and urban areas, such as burglary, anti-social behaviour and fraud, their impact can be very different in rural places.

Limited access to services, longer police response times, and patchy digital and transport infrastructure can all make the effects of crime more severe. For victims, this can mean greater isolation, longer-lasting impacts, and less confidence in the system. For rural businesses, these challenges can directly affect day-to-day operations - from financial losses to delays, added security costs and difficulties retaining staff.

Some crimes are often hidden in rural areas. Offences such as violence against women and girls, hate crime, fraud, modern slavery and human trafficking may be less visible, but are still present in rural areas. In some cases, the close-knit nature of rural communities can make it harder for victims to come forward, particularly where there is fear of stigma or lack of anonymity.

What our research shows

My research over a number of years has explored how rural communities experience crime and policing. A consistent theme is that many people feel overlooked.

For some, this leads to a sense of being “second-class citizens” when it comes to policing and justice. The centralisation of police services over recent decades has often reduced local presence, leaving rural communities feeling disconnected from decision-making and support.

This can affect reporting. If people feel that little will be done, or that their experience won’t be understood, they may be less likely to report crimes in the future.

Geography also plays a role. Rural locations can be difficult to access, and in some cases hard to locate without tools like What3Words. At the same time, victims are often unable to distance themselves from the risk - particularly where homes and businesses are closely linked, such as on farms or in remote properties with limited escape routes.

There are also ongoing concerns about how rural crime is treated within the wider criminal justice system, including perceptions that sentences do not always reflect the seriousness of offences.

What needs to change

If policy is to work for rural communities, it needs to start with a better understanding of how crime is experienced in those places.

From my perspective, there are some clear priorities:

• Recognise the reality of rural crime
  Rural crime is not rare or low-impact. Policy and policing need to reflect its scale, complexity and consequences.
• Ensure rural areas are properly considered in national policy
  Major policy initiatives, including policing reforms, should explicitly address rural contexts, rather than treating them as an afterthought.
• Strengthen rural policing capacity
  Dedicated rural policing teams need to be supported and clearly integrated into wider reforms, including neighbourhood policing structures.
• Improve training and awareness
  Call handlers and frontline staff need a better understanding of rural contexts so that incidents are assessed appropriately in terms of threat, harm and risk.
• Build stronger relationships with communities
  Better two-way communication between police and rural communities can improve trust, reporting and outcomes.

A window of opportunity

The proposed policing reforms offer an important opportunity to reset how rural crime is understood and addressed.

At present, the scale, severity and impact of rural crime are still widely underestimated. Bringing a clearer rural lens into policy and into practice would be a significant step forward.

Rural communities and businesses are not on the margins. With the right recognition and support, they can be better protected and better served by the systems designed to keep them safe.