English Heritage joined with Sussex Crimestoppers, the National Farmers Union (NFU) and Sussex Police on a campaign to help fight rural crime.
This two-pronged initiative consists of a video resource for colleges to use in lessons with sixth formers and a graphic storyboard for use in the wider community. Both urge the public’s help to keep Sussex a safe place to live and work, protecting the rural way of life.
Sixth formers are asked to lend their eyes and ears in a DVD that features victims, including young farmers, speaking out about the impact of rural crime. It will be used by schools liaison officers to engage pupils, along with a hard-hitting graphic storyboard featuring the many guises of rural crime, asking all of us to pass on information about crimes anonymously via Crimestoppers.
The storyboard will be distributed throughout Sussex and the video will be available online in the near future.
rime novelist and Sussex Crimestoppers co patron Peter James says: “In straitened financial times, as we are in, the countryside provides a soft target for villains. It is difficult for rural dwellers to protect outbuildings against determined thieves, and gardening and agricultural machinery are easily saleable for instant cash. Crimestoppers is helping the police to combat rural crime. We would like to hear from anyone who may have seen or heard something that they know is suspicious or unusual, but they may not wish to talk directly to police. We ask you to ring our national 24/7 telephone number: 0800 555 111 to pass on information about crimes anonymously or use our ‘giving information’ form via our website on: www.crimestoppers-uk.org ”
Chief Inspector Martin Sims, Sussex Police, explains: “The majority of rural crime takes place in isolated areas where witness appeals are unlikely to prove successful.
“However, people do talk and there’s every chance that someone, somewhere knows something about the crimes that this campaign covers. If people don’t want to talk directly to police or are concerned about preserving their anonymity, then Crimestoppers provide an excellent alternative method of contact.
“More and more people are concerned about the environment they live in and there’s a genuine desire to report on campaign issues. The graphic storyboard covers all the issues we would like to hear about and the DVD backs it up and provides an awareness tool for use in schools.”
NFU vice president Adam Quinney comments: “Rural crime deprives farm businesses of valuable equipment and livestock, often resulting in significant losses and a reduction in productivity. The NFU is delighted to support this Sussex Crimestoppers initiative to help people of all ages identify suspicious or unusual activity and to report rural crime anonymously. By working in partnership with police and local communities, we can tackle the scourge of rural crime by engaging more eyes and ears in the countryside.”
Baroness Andrews, Chair of English Heritage said: “Heritage crime is not just a financial crime where profits and insurance companies suffer the only loss, although there is often a very significant financial cost as well. This is crime that erases history, threatens the viability of churches, defiles the memory of our war heroes and melts away our great art and artefacts.
“Through our work within the Heritage Crime Programme and the Alliance to Reduce Crime against Heritage (ARCH), we have made significant progress in tackling heritage crime by working in partnership with law enforcement agencies and local communities. This campaign will allow us to increase community vigilance and to use preventative and enforcement measures in a way that properly reflects the value to society of the sites that have been damaged.”
Dr Andy Brown, Planning and Conservation Director for English Heritage in the South East said: “Heritage crime in rural areas includes offences such as illegal metal detecting on farmland, lead theft on remote churches, graffiti on historic buildings and damage to ancient archaeological monuments from irresponsible off-road biking and driving.”
He added: “We are pleased to be working in partnership with Crimestoppers, the NFU and Sussex Police on this important campaign. We know that people of all ages are interested in the past and we would encourage the communities of East and West Sussex to pass on any information they may have to the police or Crimestoppers.”
The Rural Crime Campaign was launched at the South of England Agricultural Society, South of England Centre, South of England Showground, Ardingly on March 21.
