The new partnership for Dumfries and Galloway was launched at Dumfries Show on Saturday.
It comes as the NFU’s Rural Crime Report 2019 shows that the cost of rural crime in Scotland has increased by 62 per cent. According to the report, the cost of rural crime in 2018 across Scotland amounted to £1.6million, up from £1million in 2017. The new D&G Partnership Against Rural Crime will bring together partners, including the National Farmers Union Scotland, Dumfries and Galloway Council, Police Scotland, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and Scottish Land and Estates, to help tackle the increase in rural crime experienced locally.
Welcoming the move, South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth said, “Rural areas like Dumfries and Galloway are often viewed as easy targets by criminals hoping to literally move in the dark, hoping that the rurality will make it easier to rob individuals and businesses. “The figures in the Crime Report show that rural crime is on the rise in Scotland which is why it essential that action is taken. I therefore welcome the launch of the Dumfries and Galloway Partnership Against Rural Crime which brings together agencies to step up prevention methods and to share intelligence to catch those criminals who plague our rural communities.”
