THE THAMES Valley Police and Crime Commissioner joined fellow regional commissioners in seeking continued commitment to protecting rural communities.
Matthew Barber has met with Police and Crime Commissioners from Wiltshire and Hampshire, as well as MPs and officers, amid concerns over increasing violence committed by rural criminal offenders.
These included Kit Malthouse, MP for North West Hampshire; Danny Kruger, MP for East Wiltshire; representatives from rural communities; officers from each force; and the head of the National Rural Crime Unit, Supt Andy Huddleston.
Together, they discussed improved collaboration in the pursuit and prosecution of those who target rural communities with threats and acts of violence at a meeting held in Faccombe.
The Thames Valley Rural Crime Taskforce, established in March 2022, sees a dedicated team of officers and intelligence specialists aiming to make the Thames Valley a hostile place for those committing rural crime.
They do so by working with partners and local communities to combat serious organised rural crime and enhance safety in rural areas.
It follows the instigation last year of Operation Ragwort, a collaboration to combat rural crime by forces and Police and Crime Commissioners in the south-west.
Its goal is to share intelligence and resources between the forces in Wiltshire, Avon and Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, and Gloucestershire in order to provide a comprehensive and coordinated response to rural crime.
Since then, a number of small scale joint operations have taken place around the region, with the first full scale operation involving all five forces and officers from the National Rural Crime Agency having taken place in October.
Mr Barber said: “It was a pleasure to meet with counterparts in Wiltshire and Hampshire, alongside Kit Malthouse MP, to discuss better intelligence sharing and how we can tackle the growing prevalence of crime in our rural communities together.
“The Thames Valley has an outstanding Rural Crime Taskforce, which has been working tirelessly since its launch in March 2022–in that time, they have conducted hundreds of investigations and provided invaluable crime prevention advice to rural residents.”
He explained: “Collaboration across borders is essential to creating a hostile environment for these criminals.
“I look forward to continuing our partnership with the PCCs of Hampshire and Wiltshire to ensure we protect rural communities across the Thames Valley.”
Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson said: “The escalating violence we have seen recently from criminals intent on spreading fear and terror in our rural communities is shocking and will not be allowed to continue.
“In recent weeks, both in Wiltshire and Hampshire we have seen two incidents of vehicles being used as weapons by offenders who are determined to cause significant harm, both financially and physically to our rural communities and we must ensure that the police are proactive in robustly enforcing the law to keep our rural communities safe and prevent further harm.
“We know that much of this criminality is linked to organised crime groups and these criminals do not recognise borders, and nor must we if we’re to protect our residents and target those causing harm.”
Donna Jones, Hampshire and Isle of Wight Police and Crime Commissioner, said: “Rural communities are the backbone of our counties, and no one should feel unsafe in their own home, business, or community.
“The escalating violence tied to rural crime is deeply concerning, and we will not stand by while criminals target rural residents with such disregard.”
She explained: “As Police Commissioner, I have continually demonstrated my commitment to make rural areas safer by investing in police intelligence capability and increasing the number of police officers in rural areas to ensure the force can take the fight to countryside criminals.
“By working closely with Wiltshire and Thames Valley Police, alongside our partners and communities, we are sending a strong message: those who seek to spread fear and commit violent acts will find no safe haven here.
“This partnership demonstrates our unwavering commitment to making rural areas hostile environments for offenders and ensuring justice for those impacted.”
