BIG BOOST FOR RURAL POLICING TEAM NUMBERS WITH ADDED BONUS OF TRAINED BACK-UP OF WILDLIFE CRIME OFFICERS

CHIEF CONSTABLE THANKS PUBLIC FOR ITS SUPPORT IN 'ENABLING INCREASE TO HAPPEN'

A FEW extra coppers on the council tax bills have helped to double bobbies on the rural beat in Atherstone and beyond.

The mini task force has seen its numbers grow from a sergeant and four police constables to 10 officers split between the town, Rugby and Stratford – enabling it to increase its presence in the whole county.

And there is additional back-up of a further 15 trained wildlife crime officers. .

The addition of four more officers – three recruited and one vacancy to be filled shortly – has come from the precept rise orchestrated by Warwickshire police and crime commissioner Philip Seccombe.

The extra cash has also helped form the Local Policing Patrol Support Team which has drastically reduced "priority" crime in taking a 'high-risk' list of offenders off the streets of the borough.

The PCC made boosting the Rural Crime Team one of the priorities for the additional funding raised through local council tax contributions this year.

He said: "Crime in our rural areas is a major concern for people and I have been keen to ensure that there is additional resource and expertise within the force to help boost the focus that is placed on both preventing and detecting offences outside of our urban populations.

"With dedicated teams now established for both the north and the south of the county and a comprehensive strategy to tackle offences in place, I want to reinforce the message that rural crime will not be tolerated anywhere in Warwickshire.

"We know there is much work to be done, but I hope this sends a signal to everyone about the determination to make a real difference in our rural communities."

Day-to-day, the team specialises in key types of rural crime by responding to offences, working with rural communities to address local issues, providing crime prevention advice, running regular proactive operations and patrolling in their dedicated beat areas.

Alongside the officer expansion, a dedicated strategy has now been published to provide clarity around the force's approach, focus and commitment to tackling rural offences.

The force admits that as a largely rural county, it has been plagued by a rise in recent years of countryside crimes – especially in relation to livestock and caravan thefts.

County rural crime lead Inspector Alison Wiggin added: "We're really pleased to have received this additional investment to help us to continue tackling rural crime within our communities."

Warwickshire Chief Constable Martin Jelley said: "I'd like to thank the public for their support to enable this increase to take place.

"i am confident our rural communities will really see the benefits from these additions.

"Rural crime is an extremely important issue which can cause huge distress and financial hardship to victims and communities, and we are determined to address this.

"The team has had a significant impact in its first 10 months."