The MP for North West Hampshire, Kit Malthouse has demanded stronger deterrents and punishments to address the rise of rural crime.

His calls came during a task force meeting between police chiefs, police and crime commissioners and MPs across Hampshire, Wiltshire and the Thames Valley on Friday, November 22. 

Mr Malthouse said: “We are facing a worrying upward trend in rural crime — particularly theft of farm machinery and poaching, as well as the increased violence associated with these crimes. 

"We need strong deterrents and suitable punishments for these crimes and we have agreed to share tactics and strategies to drive it down, including putting visible resources in the right places and greater intelligence sharing between forces. 

Participants at the summit focused on the increase in rural crime, looked at trends, and agreed on tactics to combat it. 

Speaking afterwards, Mr Malthouse said: 

"The purpose of bringing everyone together was to scrutinise the crime challenges facing our rural areas, particularly on the tri-county border. The good news is that we have more officers — and they are out and about, deterring criminals, stopping suspects and making arrests.”

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Test Valley saw 134 people stopped and searched between April and June this year, while Basingstoke saw 161 — and most of the cases were to do with drugs, offensive weapons and stolen property. 

"I will be reconvening the group in Spring 2025 when we will examine the numbers and progress made."

Last month Hampshire and the Isle of Wight police force vowed to crack down on organised crime gangs as they promoted National Rural Crime Action Week.

The Police and Crime Commissioner, Donna Jones said: "There is an immediate and growing threat from organised crime gangs. These groups are not opportunistic thieves, they perform meticulous supply and demand operations, stealing items to order such as quad bikes or plant machinery and shipping them overseas.”

According to the National Farmers’ Union, rural crime cost the UK £52.8 million in 2023, a 4.3 per cent increase from the previous year. It also includes a steep 137 per cent rise in GPS thefts.

The Police and Crime Commissioner’s dedication to addressing rural crime involves a £1 million investment to enhance intelligence capability, provide area cars in rural areas, and assign named local bobbies for every rural community.