Lancashire steps up fight against rural crime with landmark conference
Lancashire launches major crackdown on rural crime with one of the UK’s largest dedicated police teams.
Lancashire is intensifying its efforts to tackle rural crime following a major conference that brought together more than 200 experts, police officers, and community leaders. The Rural, Wildlife, and Heritage Crime Conference, held at Mytton Fold, focused on the growing challenges faced by countryside communities across the county.
Rural residents—including farmers, landowners, and businesses—are increasingly impacted by crimes such as equipment theft, livestock worrying, and fly-tipping. Police estimate these offences cost the local economy millions of pounds annually.
The event featured keynote speeches, including one from Richard Wade, Director of Risk and Safety Compliance Service, who explored the perpetrators of rural crime and potential solutions. Delegates also heard from the National Farmers Union about the pressures facing farming families, while Channel 5’s Rob and Dave Nicholson of Cannon Hall Farm shared a heartfelt perspective on the resilience of rural life.
National organisations such as the UK National Wildlife Crime Unit and the RSPCA’s Special Operations Unit presented their work on tackling wildlife crime across the country.
Opening the conference, Lancashire’s Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner Kimberley Whitehead emphasised the importance of giving rural communities a voice and ensuring equitable policing: "This event sought to give rural communities a voice by exploring the issues and opportunities affecting our countryside.
"Rural crime remains a significant concern across Lancashire, with offences such as machinery and plant theft, livestock worrying and fly-tipping impacting farms, rural businesses and quality of life, and costing the economy millions of pounds every year.
"Tackling rural crime is a priority within Commissioner Clive Grunshaw’s Police and Crime Plan. He continues to support the work of the rural task forces he first introduced during his previous term in office, with a commitment to ensuring those living in rural areas receive the same level of policing service as urban communities. Like the Commissioner, I’m proud to see them continuing to make a real impact.
"This event reaffirms Lancashire’s collective commitment to safeguarding our rural communities, wildlife, and heritage through innovation, partnership, and proactive enforcement. Most importantly, it’s a chance to share experiences and help shape future approaches.”
Lancashire Constabulary now has one of the UK’s largest rural crime teams, with over 30 officers dedicated to prevention and community engagement.
Superintendent Dave Hannan, the force’s strategic lead for rural crime, said: “Rural crime is an issue for large areas of the county but often goes underreported, which makes it harder for us to tackle effectively. That’s why community engagement and intelligence sharing are absolutely vital.
“In Lancashire, we have five teams including more than 30 officers dedicated to tackling rural crime. This is one of the largest offerings of any UK police force and we are fully committed to supporting our rural communities to prevent crime.
"Through initiatives like rural watch schemes and targeted patrols, we’re working to deter offences such as farm equipment theft, wildlife crime, and fly-tipping. It’s also essential that our officers have specialist knowledge to deal with the unique challenges rural policing presents.”
The conference also addressed broader social issues, including abuse in rural areas, modern slavery, and cyber crime. Jo Oliver, Director of Lancashire Partnership Against Crime and NFU Mutual Representative, said the event was a valuable opportunity to unite partners and strengthen the county’s response:
"LANPAC is proud to support this important conference, which brings together key partners to address the challenges facing our rural communities and ensure vital prevention messages are shared. I’m also pleased to represent NFU Mutual and collaborate across the sector to strengthen our collective response to rural crime and promote safety and resilience across Lancashire."
Residents are being encouraged to sign up to “Lancashire Talking” to share their priorities and help shape local policing. Police are urging anyone affected by rural crime to report incidents, enabling officers to develop targeted patrols, rural watch schemes, and specialist support for countryside communities.