Police rural crime strategy consultation

Residents in rural areas are being invited to meet with Cheshire’s Police & Crime Commissioner and local officers to have their say on the county’s new rural crime strategy prior to its publication.

It has been developed in response to the local rural crime survey conducted in Cheshire over the summer and the recent national rural crime survey.

The strategy outlines the priorities for rural officers and sets out the ways police in Cheshire will tackle rural and wildlife crime from now until 2021.

There will be five events taking place across the county during October 2018 with each event led by Police Crime Commissioner David Keane and the constabulary’s rural crime lead, chief inspector Simon Meegan.

Local residents will also have the opportunity to talk to their local policing team about issues in their area.

David said: “This strategy has been heavily influenced by the views of local residents who took their time to give us feedback as part of the rural crime survey. We have listened to what they told us but we want to ensure the strategy takes into account their priorities.

“The survey told us that more than two thirds of residents who live in Cheshire’s rural communities think police are doing a good job keeping their communities safe, but there is still more we can do to protect our more remote communities.

“Rural communities have their own unique crime related issues which can have a significant impact on residents or farming and businesses. It’s imperative for police to be specially equipped and trained to tackle these issues.

“As part of the plan, I’ve set five priorities for police in Cheshire to deliver over the next four years to ensure we tackle rural crime head on.”

The first two events will be held on Wednesday 3 October 2018, 7pm at Blaze Farm in Wildboarclough near Macclesfield and Thursday 4 October 2018, 7pm at Stockton Heath Police Station. Further events will be announced in due course.