Rural crime costs Shropshire £620,000

The figures, released by NFU Mutual, show a 36 per cent decrease compared to the previous year.

The insurer which serves mainly the farming community, said thieves were continuing to target expensive all-terrain vehicles –more commonly known as quad bikes – and agricultural tools.

Last week it was reported that around £2,000 worth of farm machinery had been stolen from a farm in Lilleshall.

Police also reported a rise in thefts of Land Rovers, as well as parts such as their bonnets and mirrors.

The survey also revealed the changing nature of rural crime, with 63 per cent of those who took part saying that cyber-crime was a growing problem.

New claims data also revealed that thieves were increasingly targeting items such as solar panels.

The theft of livestock also continued to be problem.

Shropshire manager for NFU Mutual, Simon Latter, said he was pleased rural crime had fallen over the past 12 months, but said there were areas which still needed to be addressed.

"That there's been an overall decline in the cost of rural crime over the last 12 months is welcome news and reflects the huge efforts being made by communities and others to tackle this problem," he said.

Mr Latter said initiatives aimed at reducing livestock theft and installing tracking devices to agricultural vehicles were having a real impact, making life more difficult for criminals.

But he added: "Problem areas remain and thieves continue to exploit weaknesses such as around all-terrain vehicles and tools.

"While today's survey contains some good news, it also highlights the need for rural communities to remain vigilant and put security at the forefront of their minds."

In Wales, rural crime cost the community £1.7 million, down from £2 million the previous year. Fuels such as domestic heating oil and 'red' diesel were also a major target in Wales, as well as tools and all-terrain vehicles.

Nationally, rural crime totalled an estimated £37.8 million in 2014, a fall of 15 per cent compared to the previous year.

Supt Susan Thomas of West Mercia Police said the force identified rural crime as a priority, and had allocated significant resources to tackle the problem.

She said that working jointly with Warwickshire Police, the forces were spending a total of £1.5 million a year to tackle the issues.

"Much time and effort has gone into engagement with the rural communities, with considerable focus on those communities where there may have been a perception that rural crime was not a priority."

She added that the forces had introduced schemes such as Horse Watch and Rural Watch to protect rural communities from crime.

In June a new police team was launched to tackle rural crime in the Telford & Wrekin area.

The new team, based at Malinslee police station, was launched at a conference attended by around 100 business and community leaders at Harper Adams University at Edgmond, near Newport.

It is part of a £1 million drive to reduce offences in the area.

Sgt Ben Stephens, who will be leading the team, said it would focus on crime prevention rather than enforcement.

He said similar teams had been a big success elsewhere in the force area.