Farm and Rural Crime: Informing Police Strategy

Researchers
Dr Wyn Morris 
Dr Gareth Norris

The Overview

Research by Aberystwyth University’s School of Business has had a major impact on the resourcing and policing of farms, farm businesses, rural communities and individuals within the Dyfed-Powys Police (DPP) area. Lack of police visibility, resources and limited Welsh medium provision had led to feelings of isolation and vulnerability in these communities. The research was commissioned by Dyfed-Powys Police; recommendations made on resources and strategies were implemented through the Rural Crime Strategy 2017-2021 leading to changes in processes and services. Improved trust, communication and the relationship between communities and the police have been acknowledged as key outcomes of the research project.

The Research

Research undertaken by Dr Wyn Morris and Dr Gareth Norris examined the extent and impact of rural crime. In 2017, the Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner made a key policy commitment towards developing evidence-based policing and working with rural communities to reduce crime. Research was subsequently commissioned by Dyfed-Powys Police (DPP) and awarded to Morris and Norris.

Two Rural Crime Surveys were conducted across the DPP force’s area. A final report, from the first Rural Crime Survey, was submitted to DPP in December 2017. The recommendations from the report were incorporated into the DPP Rural Crime Strategy 2017-2021. A second Rural Crime Survey was commissioned and funded by DPP and completed in mid-2019. The 2019 Rural Crime Survey and Report is being used by DPP to inform the development of its next Rural Crime Strategy.

"My office has worked with Aberystwyth University in 2017 on our first Rural Crime Survey which ultimately informed the Dyfed-Powys Police Rural Crime Strategy. It is important to have an assessment of the efficiency of our work, and equally important to have an independent body to conduct the assessment."

Dafydd Llywelyn, Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed Powys, June 2019

The Impact

Informing the Police of Rural Crime

The research proposed the development and implementation of specialist Rural Crime Teams and the need for increasing human and technical resources (including specific technologies, such as using Facebook and Twitter). These proposals were subsequently incorporated into Dyfed-Powys Polices’ Rural Crime Strategy (2017-2021).

Changing Processes and Services

Morris and Norris recommended that rural ‘flags’ were attached to reports of agricultural crime for more efficient responding and reporting of rural crime. These were developed into a search algorithm by Dyfed-Powys Police force analysts to facilitate the detection of rural crime patterns, intelligence and response processes.

Public Benefited from Service Improvements

Research recommended more effective resourcing by allocating Police Officers who understand the specific communities they support. The allocation of specific officers to communities resulted in 70% of community respondents agreeing that dedicated rural crime officers had increased their trust in the police.

Get in touch

As a University, we’re always keen to share our knowledge and expertise more widely for the benefit of society. If you’d like to find out more or explore how you can collaborate with our researchers, get in touch with our dedicated team of staff in the Department of Research, Business and Innovation. We’d love to hear from you. Just drop an e-mail to:

research@aber.ac.uk

Research Impact Case Studies | Research Theme: Society