Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps she is taking to reduce rural business crime in North Shropshire constituency.

Rural crime has devastating consequences on countryside communities and the agricultural sector. Through our Safer Streets Mission, rural businesses will be safeguarded, with tougher measures to clamp down on anti-social behaviour, strengthened neighbourhood policing and stronger measures to prevent equipment theft and fly-tipping.

Rural communities can also be assured that visible, neighbourhood policing is returning to our communities. On 10 April, the Prime Minister outlined further details about our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, including that by July, every community, including rural communities, will have named and contactable officers dedicated to addressing their issues.

This financial year we are providing the first Home Office funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit, a national policing unit which help forces tackle rural crime priorities and is a great example of farmers and police working together at national and local level.

As one part of efforts to help tackle theft of agricultural equipment, we are committed to the implementation of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to tackle the theft and re-sale of high-value agricultural equipment.

In addition, we are providing over £7 million over the next three years to support the police is tackling retail crime. This includes continuing to fund a specialist analysis team within Opal, the national intelligence unit for serious organised acquisitive crime – in partnership with the retail sector – to better understand the tactics used by organised retail crime gangs and identify organised retail crime offenders in every area of the county.