Rural crime on the rise

Rural crime continues to rise in England, but thefts are falling in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

NFU Mutual’s annual crime survey, released at the Royal Show, puts the estimated cost of rural crime in the UK in 2005 at £15.58m, slightly up on the 2004 figure of £15.48m.

But the cost of tractor and quad bike theft in England rose by a massive 23.4% and the thefts of tools and equipment increased by 13.2%.

By contrast, Scotland saw a 66.4% fall in the value of equipment theft and tractor theft in Wales was down by 49.9%.

David Leavesley, of the company’s risk management division, said: “It is particularly disappointing to see rural crime in England continuing to rise, especially as the trend in other parts of the UK is showing a welcome decrease.”