RURAL leaders are urging people in Nottinghamshire to remain vigilant in order to help police combat crimes in the countryside.

Crimes that need to be tackled include fly-tipping, heritage theft, hare coursing, fishing and wildlife crime, a Nottinghamshire Rural Crime Forum meeting was told.

Heritage crime – incidents that damage historic assets and interfere with the public's understanding and enjoyment of them – and fly-tipping were among the most serious problems.

Rural representatives attending the forum include Claire Wright, eastern region surveyor for the Country Land and Business Association.

"We really need every member of the rural community to work together with the police in order to help pass on vital information," she said.

The public provided crucial intelligence that helped police understand who was travelling in and out of the county, and better manage resources to combat crime more effectively.

"Calls from the public really do make a difference," Ms Wright told the forum on Wednesday, 1 October.

"Many of these crimes are easy to underestimate, but they are extremely serious."

Hare coursers, for example, were hardened criminals engaged in illegal betting involving large sums of money – and prepared to use violence if disturbed.

"Evidence shows that they are frequently also involved in other criminal activity too.

"Heritage crimes can be theft, criminal damage, or anti-social behaviour, anything that affects historic buildings or monuments."

Ms Wright said CLA members managed almost one third of all heritage property and spent billions of pounds on maintaining them for future generations.

"This type of crime doesn't just affect individuals, but threatens the viability of buildings that are part of the nation's history," she said.

"While fly-tipping spoils the countryside for all, it also costs landowners hundreds of pounds to clear up each incidence of fly-tipped waste on their land.

"There is also the potential for landowners to be prosecuted purely because they have not removed waste tipped on their land.

Anyone spotting a suspicious vehicle should take the registration number and call the police – on 999 if they suspected a crime was actually taking place.

Information regarding suspicious activity in the countryside should be reported by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.