The BBC and Yorkshire Post have reported on calls from The Countryside Alliance and The National Farmers Union (NFU) for the Police and Crime Commissioner election candidates to put rural crime at the forefront of their campaigns

The groups argue that rural crime must be taken more seriously, amid fears that a belief police are not taking the incidents seriously will lead to cuts to funding.

Recently-released statistics compiled by the Countryside Alliance showed that 47 per cent of 8,000 people surveyed think the tackling of rural crime has not improved since PCCs were introduced in 2012.

The NFU has called on police forces to increase resources for tackling rural crime.

It said a survey of its members had revealed that rural crime had cost the average victim £5,100, with one in 10 respondents putting the bill at £10,000 or more.

Full articles:

The BBC - Rural crime: Farmers 'feel like sitting ducks'

Yorkshire Post - Tackling rural crime could get locked into 'cycle of decline' because of perception it is not taken seriously