PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(11 September 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the extent to which organised criminal groups are responsible for rural crime affecting farms and agricultural businesses.

Asked by:
Patrick Spencer (Conservative)

Rural crime is not recorded as a distinct category within police recorded crime and it is therefore not possible to produce a single, centrally verified assessment of the extent to which organised criminal groups are responsible for rural crime affecting farms and agricultural businesses. However, we recognise that organised criminal groups are involved in a range of offences affecting rural communities, including the theft of agricultural machinery, vehicles, equipment, livestock and fuel.

To support the policing response, the Home Office is providing over £800,000 in 2026/27 to the National Rural Crime Unit and National Wildlife Crime Unit. These specialist capabilities provide intelligence, analysis, coordination and operational support to forces across the UK, helping to identify, disrupt and pursue offenders operating across force boundaries. We have also worked with Defra and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to support delivery of the Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy 2025-28, which includes a focus on tackling organised criminality affecting rural communities.

Answered by:
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