---

Crime: Rural Areas

Answer

The available information is given in the following table. Offences recorded by the police in rural police force areas fell by 9 per cent. between 2002-03 and 2006-07.The Home Office has undertaken a number of actions which directly benefit rural communities. These include:"Establishing farm, horse, country and poacher watch schemes""Introducing measures to increase the number of special constables many of whom volunteer in rural police forces. As at 31 March 2007, the figures were at a high of 14,021 which were in part as a result of Specials Capacity Building funding."

Total offences recorded by the police in rural police force areas
Financial year	Number of offences
2002-03	851,062
2003-04	855,330
2004-05	810,520
2005-06	782,424
2006-07	772,409
Note:
The defining of rural police force areas within England and Wales has been taken in accordance with the ACORN (““A Classification Of Residential Neighbourhoods””) guidance as published in the Statistical Bulletin 01/02 ““Rural Crime England and Wales””. The data covers 13 forces which ACORN defines as either 'Most Rural' (Dyfed-Powys, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire and North Wales) or 'Less Rural' (Cambridgeshire, Cumbria, Devon and Cornwall, Durham, Gloucestershire, Norfolk, Suffolk, West Mercia and Wiltshire).

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

187563; 472 c1965-6W

Session

2007-08

Related items

Crime: Rural Areas
Tuesday, 18 March 2008
Written questions
House of Commons

Subjects

Crime Rural areas

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk