Rural residents and businesses urged to speak up and help determine the future of local policing

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen is calling upon rural residents and businesses to speak up about crime and policing to shape future services in the way they want.

Since first being elected as County Durham and Darlington’s PCC in 2021, the Commissioner has fought to strengthen the authority of rural communities to steer decision-making and ensure policing priorities align with the needs of residents.

Rural areas have distinct needs and challenges, from accessibility of services to issues such as isolation, crime prevention and community safety, and it is vital that these are properly understood.

This is why Safer Countryside is one of six key priorities in her Police, Crime and Justice Plan, and why the PCC has tirelessly worked to keep rural criminality at the top of the policing agenda locally and nationally.

Among an extensive list of commitments dedicated to supporting rural communities and improving their policing service, the Commissioner has pledged in her Plan to:

• Improve police visibility in rural areas
• Ensure those living in rural areas know how to report to the police and feel supported and confident when they do so
• Ensure all forms of rural crime are effectively managed including hare-coursing, equine crime, wildlife crime, unauthorised encampments, equipment theft, fly-tipping, heritage and cultural crime.
• Improve data quality issues to identify and respond more effectively to rural crime trends and patterns.

In the PCC’s last rural crime survey, a huge proportion of rural residents said they had personal experience of crime including fly-tipping (82%), vehicle theft (23%), livestock theft (19%), dog attacks on livestock (15%), crop damage (9%) and plant theft (9%).

The new consultation will provide an even bigger opportunity for residents, businesses and community groups based in the countryside to speak openly and honestly about what needs to change, what the force is doing well and how the PCC can improve access to policing services.

These views will help the PCC target funding to where it is needed most and to ensure rural policing services are responsive, accessible and effective – now and in the future.

Most notably, in 2024 she secured £200k in funding from the Safer Streets campaign for the Rurali Project which has significantly boosted the fight against rural crime.  She has followed this up with a further £51k to extend the area’s dedicated rural coordinator roles to 31st March 2027.  

She has also provided funding in support of four Community Speedwatch vehicles and a further £2,843 towards the training for Drone pilots.

Residents and businesses in Weardale and Consett benefitted when she invested £5k to pay for 20 new security lights, 30 perimeter alarms, 15 covert trail cameras and 10 security cameras to deter criminality in the area.

Police and Crime Commissioner Joy Allen said: “Nobody knows our rural communities better than the people who live in them. I want to see problems through the eyes of those who experience them and drive solutions that not only meaningful but are effective.

“I am proud of how far we have come. My office has brought record investment into rural safety, and no stone has been left unturned in my vow to protect rural livelihoods. But we can and will do more. Please play your part and make your views count.”

The survey can be completed here:  Rural Consultation 2026 – Fill in form.

Ends

Notes to editors:

Key achievements in tackling rural crime:

• Two dedicated Ruralwatch Coordinators and a dedicated intelligence officer funded to capture and develop intelligence from Ruralwatch Whatsapp groups to target offenders.
• £1m secured to continue ‘hotspot’ enforcement patrols in both rural and urban areas with long-running problems including ASB and serious violence.
• New Community Speedwatch vans with onboard tech to clock speeding motorists in rural communities and extra enforcement patrols on the roads.
• New ANPR cameras to track the movement of offenders and stolen machinery through the county.
• GPS trackers and drones to support rural crime investigation. The force now boasts 24-7 drone coverage.
• New handheld thermal imaging cameras to help officers search vast open areas including quarries and wetlands.
• New campaigns to crackdown on rural criminality including ‘Police STOP ME!’ involving the distribution of bespoke orange stickers for agricultural plant and machinery and vehicles encouraging police to proactively stop and check the equipment if it is seen on the road or unattended in an unusual place between the hours of 10pm and 5am.

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