Photo credit: Police and Crime Commissioner, Hampshire and Isle of Wight: Police Commissioner funds first-of-its-kind community drone pilot to crack down on rural crime – Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner
During National Rural Crime Action Week 2026, FCN’s Joint Helpline Coordinator Mark Thomas reflects on the impact of rural crime on farmers and farm businesses.
Whether it’s machinery theft, poaching, fly-tipping, hare coursing, arson, or other criminal activity experienced in the rural community, the resulting disruption and costs to the business can be considerable.
But the implications of rural crime go well beyond the profit and loss account. Its impacts on people can be significant and long lasting.
We often hear about rural crime on the FCN helpline. It can be mentioned as one factor amongst a number of problems that have led to a feeling of being overwhelmed. It might be as a result of persistent and ongoing intimidation, grinding someone down and causing continual stress and anxiety. Or it might be as a result of assault and personal injury, as happened to a gamekeeper on a neighbouring estate to me recently.
The fear of crime can be as significant as experiencing it, especially in remote areas where obtaining a police response can take time, often too long to intervene and make arrests. But it’s so important to report a crime in progress to 999 and suspicious activity to 101 or via apps like the OPCC funded EyesOn. This ensures the incident appears in local Police data – and it’s this reporting that drives where the Police target their resources.
In many areas, farmers, landowners and gamekeepers are linked into WhatsApp groups and this can be a useful way to alert others to possible problems and to feel connected with others who are tackling a growing problem in the countryside.
And some Constabularies are taking innovative steps. This ‘Rural Crime Week’ I attended the launch of a pioneering drone pilot helping rural communities and police work together to tackle crime across Hampshire.
Trained community volunteers can now be deployed by the police control room to provide drone support to live incidents in rural areas.
The drones will support police responding to offences such as hare coursing, poaching and burglaries, while helping gather evidence and improve intelligence from local communities.
Apart from the practical benefits of the project, there is a sense of taking positive action, to regain an advantage, and that leads to a definite psychological boost and helps reduce the fear and concerns that criminals have the edge.
So this Rural Crime Week, remember three things:
Prevent it: Take active steps to protect property and people – check with your local Constabulary and the NFU about support and advice on this
Report it: Don’t let rural crime go unrecorded – call 999 if a crime is in progress or 101 and investigate local groups and apps
Share it: As well as dealing with the practical implications of crime, remember to process the personal impact it can have by talking about it. Victim Support (www.victimsupport.org.uk) or organisations like FCN are here to help.
The FCN helpline exists to ensure that no one in agriculture needs to face a problem alone. Call 03000 111 999 from 7am to 11pm (365 days a year) or email help@fcn.org.uk