Crime-fighting charity Crimestoppers, the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO), and members of rural communities will once again join forces as they attend a second rural crime conference following the success of a similar event last year [November 8 2012].

Today will see groups descend onto the Kettering Conference Centre to attend the ACPO Rural Crime Seminar, which will see speakers cover topics including metal theft, livestock theft and engagement through social media.

Crime is an on-going concern for those living in rural communities, with theft of farm machinery, oil, diesel, batteries, metal for scrap value, and agricultural equipment all inflicting considerable cost on those affected.

An estimated £50 million to £70 million worth of plant and agricultural machinery is stolen nationally every year, with only a small percentage of this stolen property is ever recovered.

Farms are seen as an easy target due to restricted street lighting and the isolated areas they sometimes occupy, but they should not be made to feel vulnerable, which is why this conference is being run for a second year.

The conference is also an opportunity for Crimestoppers to work alongside its stakeholders affected by this type of crime, while also supporting businesses and individuals who are feeling the effects of incidents committed in their area.

Director of Operations for Crimestoppers, Roger Critchell, said: “We’re proud to once again be involved with this conference and really saw the benefits of bringing the rural communities together last year to seek the best way to tackle this crime.

“This is a tight-knit group who and work together to try and keep their area safe, but there are some that break away from this and decide to commit crimes against those around them.

“This could mean that those in the community know who is committing these crimes, but don’t want to expose those responsible due to fears of being identified. Crimestoppers is totally anonymous and we only take the information you give, and never any personal details about those that contact us.

“I’d like to reassure those living in rural areas that we take this crime very seriously, and I would appeal to anyone with information on those benefiting from rural crime to contact Crimestoppers immediately.”

ENDS

For further information please contact Media Officer Kieran Theivam on 0208 835 3727 or kieran.theivam@crimestoppers-uk.org.

More information on the seminar is also available at: www.acporuralcrime.org.

Notes to Editors:

• Crimestoppers is an independent charity which helps the police to solve crimes, making communities safer. It does this by operating the 24/7 telephone number 0800 555 111 which people can ring to pass on information about crimes anonymously. They can also use our ‘giving information’ form via our website www.crimestoppers-uk.org which can also be accessed by internet-enabled mobile phones.
• Around 22 people are arrested and charged every day as a result of information given to Crimestoppers.
• Since Crimestoppers began in 1988, it has received over a million actionable calls, resulting in almost 118,000 arrests and charges. Over £124 million worth of goods has been recovered and over £271 million worth of drugs has been seized.
• In 2005, Crimestoppers launched the UK’s Most Wanted on its website which allows the public to view images of criminals and pass on vital information about their whereabouts. It has been highly successful with over 1,700 arrests to date.
• Crimestoppers UK was founded by Lord Ashcroft, KCMG, Chairman of Trustees. In 1988, he launched Crimestoppers in the Metropolitan Police area. Crimestoppers’ ‘call to action’ is built on a three-way partnership between the business community, the police and the media.