Notts crime commissioner hits back at claims 'Shergar more likely to appear in Selston than police'

It comes after a councillor accused her of neglecting rural communities.

Coun David Martin, Nottinghamshire Council member for Selston, said county police and crime commissioner Caroline Henry had pledged to set up a team dedicated to tackling rural crimes, such as machinery and livestock theft, in her manifesto ahead of her election in May, but it was not in her newly published police and crime plan, which is currently out to consultatio n.

However, Mrs Henry said the police needed other things first and has committed to spending almost £80,000 on equipment such as drones and 4x4 vehicles to tackle rural crime, adding: “Nothing could be further from the truth than suggesting I have moved away from treating rural crime as a priority.”

Rural police presence

Coun Martin said, “Ask anybody in places like Selston if they see the police proactively patrolling our rural communities and they’ll tell you they are more likely to see Shergar down Nottingham Road, Selston.

"A rural police presence simply doesn’t exist and that’s what makes this broken promise even more hard to stomach.

“Residents tell me they call police on 101 and, if they can get through, nothing happens.

“It’s no wonder residents in rural communities like ours feel increasingly remote from the police they pay for and who are meant to represent their interests.”

However, the commissioner has just agreed to fund a range of equipment to tackle rural crime, including: drones; additional 4x4 rural vehicles with searchlights; additional marked vehicles for rural locations; additional thermal imaging goggles/dragon lights/binoculars; 15 tracking hardware devices; five off-road motorbikes; farm security kits and off-road vehicle stingers.

Mrs Henry said: “I asked the force what it needed to provide a better response to rural crime and this was their answer, rather than, at this stage, a rural crime team.

“I am insisting upon a new focus on recognising and identifying crimes which take place because of their rural location in the force control room and on the front line.

“In addition, I have engaged with the National Farmers' Union to work with the whole force to understand why crimes take place in the countryside which is the first step to tackling them more effectively than ever before.”

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