'It will be a while before I feel safe' from rural crime for farmer
This time last year, widespread criminality hit the Fens
A local farmer is buoyed by how Cambridgeshire Police are now tackling rural crime.
"Now we ring up, we mention hare coursing and the operators get it; they've been briefed and I think they've realised they've got to respond," he said.
Widespread criminality including hare coursing hit the Fens this time last year, something the force said it would learn from.
At the time of the matter, Superintendent Ben Martin, area commander for Peterborough and Fenland, said the situation made him "feel said because I don't want us to be defined by this one incident going forward."
At a public meeting held after the event, Nick Dean - former chief constable at Cambridgeshire Police - apologised for what happened.
Suspects 'throwing stones, trying to grab things'
The farmer - who wishes not to be named - has previously been targeted by rural criminals, including hare coursers.
"Recently we had hare coursing on the farm; about 30 blokes and their kids turned up, (acting) pretty nasty and aggressively, throwing stones at our machines, reaching in trying to grab things out the car," they said.
"We've had loads of flytipping, from wrappers right up to truck and lorry loads."
New plan in place
In November, the National Police Chiefs' Council launched a three-year strategy to tackle the threats posed by organised crime.
The strategy includes more focus on intelligence-led policing through advanced data analytics and crime mapping used to identify crime hotspots, as well as track patterns of offending across the country.
The NPCC hopes this will allow police forces to target organised crime groups in rural areas more effectively by deploying resources where they are most needed.
A Bill to implement the strategy is going through Parliament.
The farmer said they used to be targeted by hare coursers around twice a year, but that has cut down.
There was a time when rural crime was "pretty relentless" for the farmer.
"We're used to dealing with bad weather and all the other stuff that life has to throw at us farmers, but rural crime is a huge challenge," they said.
"I think the police response has been much better in our county, but it's going to be a while before I feel safe."