TACKLING RURAL CRIME IS FOCUS OF LATEST FARMERS’ EVENING
Tackling the growing problem of rural crime is the focus of the first joint NFU/Lovewell Blake Farmers’ Evening of 2023, which takes place next month.
Tim Passmore, who has been Suffolk’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for the past 11 years, will be the speaker at the free event, which takes place at Halesworth Golf Club on Wednesday 1st March at 7.30pm.
Mr Passmore will talk about crime prevention for farms and rural businesses, as well as touching on important issues such as fly-tipping and firearms licensing. He will also update the audience on the Police Funding Review and its impact locally.
Before taking up the post of PCC, Mr Passmore was a self-employed agricultural and rural business consultant, and so understands well the concerns of farming businesses about crime. He is a former leader of Mid Suffolk District Council, and remains a local councillor. He describes his job as ‘listening and responding to the needs of the people of Suffolk, bringing more of a public vote to policing’.
Lovewell Blake agricultural partner Ryan Lincoln, who will be chairing the event, said, “Rural crime is an issue which affects every single farmer and every rural business, so it will be useful to hear how the steps that our local Police and Crime Commissioner is taking alongside the Police to tackle the problem.”
A report from NFU Mutual in 2022 showed that the cost of rural crime rose by over 40% in the first part of that year, with rural theft estimated to cost the UK £40.5 million a year – with fuel theft and the theft of high value farm machinery the rural crime farmers are most concerned about.
The event takes place at Halesworth Golf club on Wednesday 1st March at 7.30pm, and the presentation will be followed by a buffet supper. Attendance is free, but places need to be booked in advance, by visiting https://www.lovewell-blake.co.uk/events.