Decrease in hate crimes but rise in domestic crime and serious RTCs in rural Norfolk

Decrease in hate crimes but rise in domestic crime and serious RTCs in rural Norfolk

The Norfolk Constabulary have released their second Rural Crime Strategy and annual report for the year 2019, providing an overview of the work they have completed over the past 12 months.

The report highlights the significant focus they have placed on lowering rural crime in the county, from visiting victims of fraud and providing crime prevention advice, through to holding open public events within the rural community.

They state in the report that they are continuing to invest in technology, including hand-held thermal imaging devices to combat hare coursing, night-time poaching and illegal metal detecting, increasing the deployment of drones and the roll out of body-worn video and mobile phones.

Key crime types and trends in 2018/19:

  • An increase of 12.8% of domestic crimes in rural locations – 2857 incidences from 2533 in 2017/18.
  • There was a 34.5% decrease in recorded incidences of hate crime with 190 recorded offences from 290 in 2017/18.
  • A decrease of 28.9% of rural burglaries recorded with 846 from 1190 in 2017/18.
  • An increase of 13.3% for fatal or serious rural road traffic collisions – 273 incidents from 241 in 2017/18.
  • A decrease of 52.2% in reported incidences of hare coursing with 163 report from 342 the previous year.
  • There was an increase of 12.2% in burglaries against businesses, with 609 incidences from 543 in 2017/18.

In 2017 £330,000 was raised to protect vulnerable churches against thefts – a total of 126 alarms were fitted across churches in the county which saw a 57% reduction in reported thefts.

There were also an additional 24 Wildlife Crime Officers trained in 2018 to compliment the 10 already embedded in local policing.

PCC Lorne Green said:

“Whilst so much has already been done, there is always more we can do. I am committed to monitoring the delivery of the strategy and ensuring our rural communities are a safer place to live, work and prosper.”

You can read the report in full here.

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