Shropshire Council Leader calls for more rural police amid rising crime
The Leader of Shropshire Council, Heather Kidd, has called for a greater allocation of police resources to rural areas of the county, citing a concerning rise in serious theft, damage, and hare coursing.
Editor's Note: This article originally reported comments made by Cllr Heather Kidd regarding rural policing in Shropshire. Since publication, West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion has issued a formal letter disputing those claims. We have also contacted Cllr Kidd to offer the opportunity to respond.
The Leader of Shropshire Council, Heather Kidd, has called for a greater allocation of police resources to rural areas of the county, citing a concerning rise in serious theft, damage, and hare coursing.
Her plea comes after a meeting on Friday with West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion, and in light of the force's announcement that it will recruit 50 new constables.
Councillor Kidd expressed her dissatisfaction with the current level of attention given to rural crime, stating, "The strong impression I received from this meeting is that the Commissioner and the higher echelons of the West Mercia force are not taking rural crime seriously. One officer present actually said 'you don't get much crime in rural areas'. The reality is much worse."
She highlighted the irony of the situation, noting that while the force plans to expand, Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in rural areas now only work from 8 am to 8 pm, leaving overnight cover "sketchy." This gap in coverage is particularly problematic given that crimes like hare coursing and the theft of expensive agricultural machinery frequently occur at night, with police response times to rural areas often taking "hours."
Councillor Kidd provided Mr Campion's team with evidence illustrating the scale and growth of the problem. She explained that thefts are becoming "increasingly sophisticated and large scale," including the highly valuable theft of large vehicles such as combine harvesters. The issue isn't confined to farms either, with isolated rural properties also being targeted; she cited a recent incident just outside her ward where a restaurant had a significant quantity of cooking oil stolen.
A concerning link has also been observed between these crimes and hare coursing, a widespread problem across rural England. "Large gangs come out from the cities to illegally kill hares, damaging agricultural land, gates, hedges etc. Invariably this sees a spike in break-ins in surrounding farms and houses," Councillor Kidd explained.
To address the perceived underreporting of rural crime, Councillor Kidd is now urging residents to report every incident, no matter how minor, by calling 101. "The police will then see that our crime is important," she stated. While acknowledging that many residents don't report due to slow response times, she stressed, "Things won't improve unless they understand that crime does happen here in the countryside from shed theft, to harassment, threatening behaviour, burglary and car theft to major agricultural theft."
Claims Refuted
John Campion, the Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia Police, has strongly refuted claims made by Councillor Heather Kidd, the new Leader of Shropshire Council, regarding the force's commitment to tackling rural crime.
In a direct response to Councillor Kidd's press release, which called for a greater allocation of police resources to rural areas and cited a "concerning rise in serious theft, damage, and hare coursing," Commissioner Campion expressed his disappointment and accused Councillor Kidd of putting "factually inaccurate information into the public domain".
Police and Crime Commissioner for West Mercia Police John Campion stated, "To say that I and the ‘upper echelons’ of West Mercia Police are not taking rural crime seriously is, very simply, a lie." He added that such statements are "incredibly unhelpful and damaging" and have the "potential to seriously undermine public confidence in policing, let alone damage our relationship."
He revealed that he had reached out to Councillor Kidd, as the new leader of Shropshire Council, "in a genuine attempt to establish a relationship and identify ways in which we can work together," but feels she has "undone any goodwill and trust that was established." He also suggested that Councillor Kidd may have "gone against the Nolan Principles that you, as a Councillor, are required to adhere to."
