Rural Crime Everybodys Business David Gibson Deputy Police

Rural Crime – Everybody’s Business David Gibson Deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for Hertfordshire

The Changing Face of Rural Policing then…. …. and now

A Rural / Urban Patchwork

4 x 4 Response

Rural Crime Issues

Rural Operational Support Team (ROST)

What ROST Does • Centre of excellence on rural crime issues • Provide support and advice across the force • Ensure officers and staff are properly trained to respond to rural issues • Create networks with partners and communities in Hertfordshire to tackle specific issues • Liaise with other police forces and national organisations to ensure joined up approach

Hare Coursing

Hare Coursing – Actions • Proactive Operations to target perpetrators • Working with local communities to provide rapid report and response networks • Deterrence – signs and warnings • Co operation with neighbouring forces to deal with cross border gangs

Hare Coursing – Results • A significant drop in reported incidents • Success in the courts – some recent cases May 2016 – Man convicted of coursing in E Herts fined over 1000 pounds. August 2016 – 2 Men convicted in Hatfield and fined.

Proactive Partnership Working

Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping - Cost Welwyn Hatfield District Council Jul – Sep 2015 Cost of disposal and description of waste

Fly-tipping

Fly-tipping - Progress • A single definition of fly-tipping • A single recording mechanism • Faster investigations – more joint operations • Research on why fly-tipping happens • Better integration between police and local authority responses

Everybody’s Business

Rural Special Constables

Rural Special Constables - Role • Unique role - dedicated to rural communities and specially trained to understand issues • Same equipment, responsibilities and warranted powers as regular officer • Some patrol on horseback using their own horses or via ATV (All-Terrain Vehicle) or quad bike • Deeply embedded in their own community even when off duty

Community Drive Safe www. hertscommissioner. org/community-drivesafe-scheme-hertfordshire

Community Drive Safe – Key Facts • Educates drivers – road side speed monitoring and feedback • Volunteer driven – empowers communities • Speeders sent letters / visited by police if persistent • 36 schemes in Herts

OWL – Online Watch Link www. owl. co. uk/herts

How OWL Works • Direct communication between local police, coordinators and Neighbourhood Watch members via email • Members kept up to date about what is happening in their patch • Covers one in five Hertfordshire homes – over 100, 000 people

Some ways OWL has helped the police in Hertfordshire • Missing people found after local OWL alerts • Scammers thwarted when OWL members warned of their schemes • Intelligence leading to arrests following OWL alerts • Stolen farm machinery recovered

Future Plans

Thank you Contact david. gibson@herts. pnn. police. uk