York and North Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing, Fire and
Crime, Jo Coles, has reiterated her commitment to tackling rural
crime during this year's National Rural Crime Week of
Action.
This year's National Rural Crime Week of Action focusses on the
experiences of victims of rural crime, who are often overlooked
and ignored.
The Deputy Mayor praised North Yorkshire Police for their role in
a Combined Authority-funded project providing DNA marking kits,
allowing people to invisibly mark their property and aiding in
its retrieval in the case of theft while deterring criminals from
targeting properties taking part in the scheme.
The Combined Authority has provided 8,000 DNA kits to more than
1,500 farms, representing the largest roll-out of its kind in the
UK. Since the start of the scheme in 2024 through to April 2025,
only three farms using the kits had been targeted, with a 30%
reduction in quad bike theft also being noted.
Similarly, the NFU's most recent rural crime report found that
overall crime in North Yorkshire's countryside had fallen by over
22% compared to last year.
Jo Coles, Deputy Mayor for Policing Fire and Crime
said:
“The Mayor and I, are determined to do
everything we can to keep everyone in our region safe.
“Last year, from October to December, there were 900
incidents reported including poaching, wildlife crime, criminal
damage, domestic abuse and violence. Whether it's
the theft of expensive agricultural equipment, fly tipping along
our roads and in our woodlands, or the theft of valuable
livestock, these all have a big impact on our communities.
“Over the last year I've seen the impact the Rural Taskforce
is having in North Yorkshire, whether it's local community
WhatsApp groups sharing vital intelligence or the marking of
valuable farm equipment, that has had a huge impact too.
“National Rural Crime Action Week is an opportunity to
reiterate our commitment to tackling rural crime and of the work
taking place alongside North Yorkshire Police to tackle rural
crime.”
Deputy Mayor Jo Coles is
committed to tackling rural crime - YouTube
