Farm crime fears as police overhaul rolls out across England and Wales

Rural communities risk being left exposed unless police funding properly reflects countryside realities under the government’s sweeping reforms, the NFU has warned.

The intervention comes as ministers unveil the biggest overhaul of policing in a generation, including new national response targets and a major restructuring of forces across England and Wales.

The plans include the creation of a new National Police Service (NPS) to tackle the most serious and complex crimes, led by a national police commissioner.

At the same time, police response officers will be expected to reach the most serious incidents within 15 minutes in cities and 20 minutes in rural areas, while 999 calls are to be answered within 10 seconds.

Neighbourhood policing is also set for expansion under an extended Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee, which will ensure every council ward has named, contactable officers and responses to local queries within 72 hours.

The NFU said headline targets alone would not protect rural communities unless funding recognised the unique pressures of countryside policing.

NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “The funding must reflect rural needs, including remoteness, vulnerability, and seasonal population pressures.”

He warned that rural areas are increasingly targeted by organised criminals, citing evidence that more than 22 gangs are responsible for widespread thefts of farm machinery, vehicles and GPS equipment.

“Relentless fly-tipping and the growing menace of hare coursing are also causing significant financial loss and deep emotional distress to farming families and their businesses and impacting food production across the country,” Mr Bradshaw said.

Recent figures underline the scale of the challenge. NFU Mutual’s 2025 rural crime report found quad bikes and ATVs remained the most commonly stolen items, while the cost of tractor thefts rose by 17% as criminals targeted high-value machinery and parts.

The insurer warned that rural crime is becoming increasingly organised, although coordinated action by farmers, police, industry and insurers helped deliver a 16.5% reduction in the overall cost of rural crime in 2024.

Mr Bradshaw said criminal networks often exploit stretched policing across large areas. “Criminal gangs frequently operate across multiple police force areas to evade capture, and they target rural areas where policing is thinly stretched,” he said.

He said governance changes must not weaken rural accountability, as policing functions move away from existing structures.

“While the reorganisation of police forces takes place and as some policing functions transfer to elected mayors, we look forward to working with the Mayoral Strategic Authorities and future Policing and Crime Boards to ensure rural communities have a strong voice,” he added.

As part of the reforms, the Home Office plans to abolish police and crime commissioner roles once current terms end in 2028, transferring responsibilities to elected mayors and new oversight bodies.

The changes are set out in a government White Paper and have been described by Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood as the biggest reforms in the history of professional policing.

She said the “reset” would restore neighbourhood policing under a new structure, with merged forces creating a less fragmented and more cost-effective service, while the NPS would provide centralised specialist capabilities.

The NFU said rural communities would now be looking for firm guarantees that funding, governance and response models would work in practice across large, sparsely populated areas, not just on paper.