Crimestoppers Dedicated Rural Crime Reporting Line and Online Form

Stamp out rural crime
The National Farmers’ Union has partnered with Crimestoppers to launch the Rural Crime Reporting Line
This service provides an opportunity to give information, on four key rural crimes, 100% anonymously.
Rural crime is on the rise and it is a serious issue for farmers, businesses and those who live in the countryside.

Whether it is large-scale, industrial fly-tipping, hare coursing, livestock theft or machinery theft, rural crime has a devastating effect on farms and other rural businesses.

Those responsible for this blight on our countryside are suspected of having links to
organised crime. It is vital that we bring them to justice.

That’s where you can help.

You can either call the dedicated Crimestoppers number on 0800 783 0137 or complete the online form to give information anonymously about one of these four crimes:
Large-scale, industrial fly-tipping
Hare coursing
Livestock theft
Machinery theft

What are these crimes?

Industrial fly-tipping
Large-scale, industrial fly-tipping is simply the illegal dumping of large amounts of waste, usually on farmland. In 2015/16 there were 936,000 incidents of fly-tipping, a 4% increase since 2014/15. Waste can be costly and time-consuming to remove.

It’s also dangerous to human health, wildlife and livestock. When fly-tipping takes place on private land, it is the landowner’s responsibility to remove the dumped waste, often at great cost.

Hare-coursing
This is the pursuit of hares with dogs, often for the purposes of betting. It takes place on areas of flat, open land where the dogs can easily and visibly pursue the hare. It is typically carried out by large groups of people who travel long distances.

It is illegal under the Hunting Act but it also has other impacts. For example, fences and gates can be damaged by vehicles forcibly trying to gain access to land. Once in a field, it is common practise to film the chase from a moving vehicle, which can inflict significant damage to the field and any crops within it.

Livestock theft
This can be a lucrative criminal activity due to the prices that can often be received for cattle and sheep. Farmers can lose hundreds of animals, and some regularly lose one or two, both of which can have a huge impact on their livelihoods.

Stealing significant quantities of animals from a field, by its nature, requires organisation as stock needs to be handled and housed. The theft of stock leads to significant financial losses, and can also have further impacts on businesses, including the loss of breeding stock.

Machinery theft
Farm machinery is often expensive and farms are dependent on it. A stolen tractor could mean crops can’t be harvested, or a stolen quad bike means livestock can’t be fed. There isn’t a big market for second-hand farm machinery in the UK, so high value items can often be stolen to order and then sent abroad.

Farmers have experienced violence when confronting thieves on their land, which is often remote and difficult to secure.

If you have any information to share, please contact Crimestoppers charity 100% anonymously on
0800 783 0137
or the non-traceable anonymous online form

https://forms.theiline.co.uk/ruralcrimereportingline – .