National Rural Crime Action Week launches today (8 September) with the aim of seeing greater recognition and understanding of the problems and impact of crime in rural areas.

The week-long campaign, organised by the National Rural Crime Network, is also a way of highlighting the work that the UK’s Police and Crime Commissioners and Police Forces undertake to tackle rural crime.

Combatting rural and wildlife crime is a vital part of Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Andy Dunbobbin’s Police and Crime Plan for the region. This plan was published earlier this year and rural and wildlife crime falls under the overall priority of ensuring a local neighbourhood policing presence.

Over the three years of the plan, PCC Dunbobbin has pledged to continue to work together with farming unions and key partners to ensure effective policing in our rural communities; to encourage the reporting of rural crime through promotion with partners; to support the ongoing vital work of the dedicated Rural Crime Team; and to create a rural crime forum.

Rural and wildlife crime can be very broadly classed as any crime and anti-social behaviour occurring in rural areas. There are four categories which North Wales Police uses to best describe rural crime: agriculture, equine, wildlife and heritage.

As part of Andy Dunbobbin’s commitment to North Wales rural communities and to fighting crime, 2025 has seen a number of initiatives to fight crime and support communities.

Mr Dunbobbin said: “National Rural Crime Action week is an opportunity to shine a light on crime in rural areas, to encourage reporting and to highlight the excellent work undertaken by North Wales Police and their Rural Crime Team to combat this type of crime.

“Key to a lot of our work to cut rural crime is working with communities to understand their concerns and respond to what they tell us. The more police, farming unions, the agricultural community, and rural residents work together to stop rural and wildlife crime, the more effective we will be, and the sooner we can help put an end to these types of offences.

“I am deeply committed to our rural communities across North Wales. They are vital for our economy, for our wellbeing, and for our future as a safe, secure and sustainable region.”