Sussex Police's Rural Crime Team is expanding!

Sussex Police's Rural Crime Team (RCT) is expanding, with extra police officers joining to enhance the work of the unit which tackles unlawful behaviour in rural communities.

Following success of the launch of the dedicated team in June 2020, four new PCs are joining the unit, which is based out of Midhurst and Heathfield. This brings the establishment of the team up to two sergeants, 12 constables and six Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs).

The team has a specialist focus on agricultural, wildlife, environment and heritage issues as well as dog theft. Through community engagement, crime prevention advice and law enforcement, the Rural Crime Team targets criminals perpetrating rural crime and brings them to justice.

This increase in proactive rural policing has been made possible through additional investment from the precept.

There has been greater awareness of the impact of rural crime in recent years, and this was reflected with the implementation of the national Rural Affairs Strategy in 2018, from the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).

With 62% of Sussex’s area dedicated to farming, and a significant proportion being in the South Downs National Park, Sussex is defined as ‘significantly rural’ by DEFRA (2011).

Recent Victim Satisfaction Surveys indicate that satisfaction for the team is high, and we will be looking to build on this satisfaction with our increase in staff.

Assistant Chief Constable Jayne Dando said: “It is so important to have a dedicated team for this area of policing, which quite often can go unnoticed. We want to reassure the residents of Sussex that we are here to disrupt rural crime, to catch those who think they can get away with it, and to ensure our more isolated communities feel safe in their own homes.

"We understand how destructive these crimes are to people’s livelihoods, and how damaging they can be emotionally to the victim. We want perpetrators of these crimes to know we are here to catch them: do not consider committing the crime because we will bring you to justice.

“Working closely with partners, the expanded team can draw on expertise and resources from all over the county and together we can provide the service needed to prevent rural crime."

Sussex Police and Crime Commissioner Katy Bourne said: “It is gratifying to see the rural crime team expanded in this way. The feedback received by my office confirms that the work of the team is greatly appreciated by rural communities in Sussex and has made a huge difference to their engagement with Sussex Police.

“I’m confident that the addition of extra police officers will only serve to increase the team’s impact in providing reassurance to rural residents, investigating more crimes and acting as a deterrent to those who seek to carry out criminal activities in more isolated parts of our county. This all helps to make Sussex a safer place to live, work and visit.”