RuralThe National Rural Crime Network (NRCN) survey has revealed that rural crime costs up to £800 million per year.

The survey had 17,227 respondents from people living in rural areas and found that the cost of rural crime is 21 times higher than was previously estimated. The average cost of rural crime to victims is £2,500 for households and £4,100 for rural businesses.

The survey showed that the fear of crime is also increasing, with 32 per cent of respondents more fearful of becoming victims compared to five years ago.

Findings also show low satisfaction with rural policing, with only 23 per cent satisfied with the rural police’s ability to solve crime. Only 39 per cent agree that the police are reliable, compared to 61 per cent nationally.

Crime is also under-reported in rural areas. One in four people did not report the last crime of which they were a victim, meaning that the Home Office statistic of 294,000 rural crimes committed between April 2014 and May 2015 could translate to as many as 403,000 crimes in reality, the report states.

The full report can be read at the NRCN’s official website.

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