Specialist rural and wildlife reporting tools launched in Derbyshire

A new crime form has been launched to encourage communities to report rural and wildlife crimes online.

Sergeant Chris Wilkinson, from the force’s Rural, Wildlife and Heritage Crime Team, said “We want to reassure our rural communities that we are here to support you if you need us.

“By offering an online way of reporting these crimes directly to our team, we can take all the details we need to provide an efficient and suitable police response. This should also save time for the person reporting the crime.

“Whilst we do investigate these crimes thoroughly already, and put other crime prevention measures in place, we do know that rural communities can sometimes feel expected to put up with criminal activity. We are committed to proving that this is not the case.”

Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster said: “I have made it clear that tackling rural crime is a key priority and that I expect to see strong local policing across the whole of Derbyshire. That is why I have provided additional resources to boost the response to rural crime and this online form is another tool to help our police officers deliver the best service possible for people.

“It is important that we increase confidence in our policing service and that those living or working in a rural community feel they can report any crime easily and effectively.

"This new reporting tool will help us to increase the number of reports, enabling an appropriate operational response to be put in place. I want to ensure our rural communities are safe and feel safe and that our officers are best equipped to support them.”

Rural crime covers any crimes that occur in rural areas, typically this can include agricultural theft, damage to rural buildings or monuments, and livestock worrying.

Wildlife crime is any activity that goes against the law that protects the UK's wild animals and plants.

This may be issues such as poaching, illegal use of snares or poisons and the destruction of habitats.

These crimes can cause pain and suffering to animals, push species closer to extinction and can be linked to other serious crimes like firearms offences and organised crime.

To report a rural crime please visit Report a Rural Crime.

To report a wildlife crime please visit Report a wildlife crime.