Richard recently attended an NFU Mutual parliamentary event where they shared their Rural Crime Report 2026.
Richard Fuller MP said:
This is an important piece of research that, amongst other things, tracks insurance claims for rural theft: sometimes a better indicator of the trends in crime than crime reporting stats.
The report shows the estimated cost of rural crime has decreased from 2023 due to investment in rural crime fighting initiatives, but we also discussed concerns that the proposed combing of police forces e.g. between Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire, may make rural areas less visible to the police.
I raised again my support for a 'drone force', using drones - sited on farm buildings with their owners consent - to enable police to have real time information about rural crimes taking place, such as hare coursing. The drone would operate strictly within a specific area using ‘Geofencing’ technology – a geofence creates a virtual boundary around a specific geographic area or piece of land and done with express consent and in collaboration with the farmer or landowner to help tackle crimes occurring on their land.
The 2026 crime report can be read wt https://www.nfumutual.co.uk/farming/rural-crime/
