Cambridgeshire’s police and crime commissioner welcomes drop in rural crime including hare coursing

Rural crime is down by over a quarter compared to last year according to figures published today by the county’s police and crime commissioner.

Crime commissioner Darryl Preston has made public his second annual report after it was endorsed by Cambridgeshire’s police and crime panel members last week.

The report, which covers the financial year 2022/23, provides a snapshot of progress against the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan, which set policing priorities for the Constabulary over a three-year period in 2021.

In it figures show rural crime has been reduced by 24% while hare course and poaching has been almost halved with a drop of 48%.

Darryl said: “It has been a privilege to serve as your Police and Crime Commissioner for the past two years. I wanted to take this opportunity to update Fenland residents on some of the significant progress made in the district and across our county during that time.

“First of all, the Constabulary has now recruited over 500 police officers - exceeding government expectations. We now have a record 1,732 fully warranted officers spread across our county, bolstering our local policing teams.

Furthermore, neighbourhood crime is down by 44% in the abhorrent crime of household burglary.

“I am particularly pleased to report that having made tackling rural crime a priority, we have seen a huge reduction of 24% in rural crime overall (including heritage, hunting and wildlife crime); hare coursing and poaching were down by 48% and rural criminal damage was down by 36%.

“The Constabulary is also leading the way nationally on fighting the blight of hare coursing, making good use of tough new laws increasing police powers along with heavier sentences for the thugs who carry out these crimes.

“Road safety is an ongoing priority and I continue to invest in grass roots operations to tackle your road safety concerns providing extra resources for the Chief Constable to enable our Special Constabulary to deliver more enforcement across the county.

“Demand on policing has significantly increased – I am committed to holding the Chief Constable to account for delivering a robust and swift response to the public and we have now recruited more call handlers to staff our 101 and 999 calls.

“There is always more to be done and I remain committed to supporting the Chief Constable to deliver an effective and efficient policing service.”

Some of the progress made against the Commissioner’s plan include:

• Neighbourhood crime is down – falling by 30%. Residential burglary has fallen by 44% across the county and theft offences by 23%.
• Community safety – up to £730k invested in our Community Safety Partnerships to help combat issues causing day to day concerns for residents, making public places safer and reducing anti-social behaviour. Problem Solving Officer posts are building capacity within CSPs to engage with local communities and take action to deal with issues of concern such as anti-social behaviour and fly-tipping, supported by the Commissioner’s Safer Communities Fund. Progress includes dealing with street drinking, aggressive begging and anti-social behaviour in Cambridge City; CCTV installation and early morning police patrols in hotspot areas of the city, launch of Shopwatch scheme and clearing and preventing fly-tipping county-wide.
• Protecting rural communities – proactive engagement over two years with farmers and other rural businesses to better understand their needs. Proud that the force’s Rural Action Crime Team continues to respond robustly to threat. Rural Crime has fallen by -48% and criminal damage by -36%.
• Better crime prevention – through Safer Streets funding. From community-based crime prevention schemes to supporting local residents to keep safe, a range of initiatives have been progressed to tackle anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls.
• Youth Fund – the Commissioner’s youth grants’ scheme continues to support young people to make the right choices with 35 projects granted just under £100k in 22/23 alone.
• Safer Roads – continuing to prioritise road safety with funding and resources including Special Constabulary officers to educate people about the dangers of speeding. A Casualty Reduction Officer was also funded to work within the Constabulary and a Community Roads Safety Officer to work within the Fire & Rescue Service.
• Fighting serious crime – The Commissioner remains committed to working alongside partners to tackle the root causes of serious violence and initiated a new countywide High Harms Board to move interventions forward, bringing together the right partners to tackle drugs, serious violence, violence against women and girls and serious and organised crime.
• Putting the people of Cambs and Peterborough first – listening to local residents and acting on their concerns remains a top priority.
• Supporting Victims and Witnesses – commissioning top-quality support services for victims and witnesses of crime is a key part of my role. In two years, I have invested £4.4m in Victims’ services and 11,301 victims have been supported across Cambridgeshire.