Just under a fifth of the United Kingdom’s population live in rural areas, a figure that is on its way to having doubled since 1990. Whether it being due to different working practices or more houses being built in green belt and brown field areas, more and more of us are living in villages and rural towns and away from cities than at any time since the industrial revolution. However, much our policy does not reflect the attention people in rural communities require.
There is, of course, the incorrect assumption in many of these areas that they are ‘safe Tory seats’ whether that be in local government or at parliamentary level. But we have failed to appreciate the transient nature of many of the people living in these areas, such as mine in West Worcestershire or across neighboring Herefordshire and Shropshire. Many of these people are traditionally Labour supporters who just need to know we exist in these areas and that it is still a worthwhile vote to get to the ballot box at every single local election.
We also have to understand that increasingly people in these communities are being affected more by Tory cuts than many towns and cities. It is crucial we have a clear message for people in rural areas, many of who now face chronic rural isolation.
Having knocked enough doors in villages, many of them only reachable by car, I know that there are many issues rural communities feel abandoned on. There is probably none stronger than rural crime and the feeling of isolation when it comes to living in an area with little police presence. With the Conservatives having turned their back on community policing, and brought forward funding cuts which ensure a police presence has disappeared altogether in some areas, it is vital that Labour now becomes the party of community policing and a champion of putting the bobby back into communities. This should be strongest in rural areas.
Our message has to include that funding for community policing is in place with police community support officers supported and retained in communities. We need a joined up approach working across services to best support people, such as working with community leaders, parish councils, community groups and others to ensure security, and the feeling of security, in more isolated areas.
The recent survey by the National Rural Crime Network suggest that the cost of crime in rural areas across the UK now exceeds £800m, and that it is hard pressed young families and farmers being the most frequent victims of crime. This £800m is equivalent to £200 for every household in the countryside.
And of course crime is underreported in rural areas. More than one in four victims did not report the last crime of which they were a victim, meaning current statistics are way off the mark of real occurrences of crime.
But it’s not just actual crime that presents a problem. Fear of crime in rural communities is increasing due to the number of PCSOs cut in communities – 32 per cent of people are more fearful of becoming victims of crime compared to five years ago, and half of rural businesses are very or fairly fearful. Fear of crime presents it’s own problems for people and businesses.
Let’s ensure that in the run up to the police and crime commissioner elections that, as a party, we are clear in our message to rural communities. While the Tories will continue to strip funding away from the our police services, and continue to decrease the number of PCSOs we must be the party of community policing, lobbying for the police to be properly funded and for funding to ensure we see PCSOs back on the beat across our towns and villages.
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Daniel Walton is police and crime commissioner candidate for West Mercia
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