Shropshire farmers' views sought for new research on the impact of rural crime
Victims of agricultural crime are being asked about their experiences for new research which aims to demonstrate the extent of the issue to policymakers.
Rural Criminologist Dr Kreseda Smith – who has been tracking rural crime for several years – is asking farmers, agricultural workers and their families for their thoughts on how it has affected them.
Dr Smith wants to know who farmers think is committing these crimes – as well as the impact the crimes have had on their mental health and wellbeing.
She said: “This survey is aimed at farmers, farm workers, and farmer family members who have experienced crime in the last 12 months.
"There are some questions relating to the impact of crime on their mental health, and so these may be distressing for victims and their families.
“Previous research has shown that there is a clear link between agricultural crime and its effect on farmer mental health.
“Such effects include anxiety, lack of sleep, and depression, all the way through to more extreme responses, including suicidal thoughts and behaviour.”
Dr Smith is Director of the wider Rural Resilience Research Group at Harper Adams University, which examines emerging risks to food chain resilience, such as rural crime.
She is also Co-chair of the European Rural Criminology Working Group, and will be presenting the findings of her study at the CEPOL conference in Italy in March 2025.
CEPOL is a European Union Agency which is dedicated to developing, implementing and co-ordinating training for law enforcement officials.
Dr Smith hopes the findings of her survey will help show the extent and effect of rural crime, moving the issue up the agenda for policymakers and ensuring it gets the attention it requires.
She added: “Evidence that agricultural crime is organised in nature has been increasing since the mid-2010s.
“Most research focuses on property crime, such as theft of tractors or livestock, but the impact of organised criminality is felt much wider in terms of crimes committed, and the short- and long-term effects of such crimes.
“The challenge for us as criminologists is to create a collective bank of evidence to underpin calls for rural and agricultural crime to be recognised as serious organised crime by key stakeholders and to ensure it is resourced and supported properly. This survey will go some way to adding to this evidence.”
The survey -open to anyone over 18 working in the farming sector - is completed entirely anonymously. It should take around ten minutes to complete and can be found at: harper.ac.uk/ruralcrime24
