Stuart Anderson MP has renewed his long-term campaign to 'call time on rural crime' in South Shropshire. On 17th June 2025, Stuart attended the launch of the NFU Mutual Rural Crime Report 2025. This details the financial and social impact of rural crime.
NFU Mutual has been campaigning against rural crime, which includes the theft of livestock and essential agricultural equipment, for more than two decades. As the UK’s leading rural insurance provider, they invest more than £400,000 each year to support initiatives that tackle rural crime.
This includes its role as a major funder of the National Rural Crime Unit, which the last government had provided £200,000 to help establish. Their Annual Report reveals that the cost of rural crime fell by 16.5% in the last year of the Conservative Government. This includes a 31% cut in the West Midlands.
This means that the West Midlands has seen the largest decrease - saving farmers and others involved in the region’s rural economy an estimated £3.6 million. However, rural crime continues to cost the regional economy an estimated £8.1 million a year. At a national level, this costs an estimated £44.1 million.
The Report also found that 96% believe rural crime is having a negative impact on the mental well-being of farmers and others affected by it. Stuart has said that the failure to adequate resource rural policing teams undermine the confidence of farmers to carry out their vital work in support of national food security.
It is the latest intervention in Stuart’s campaign against rural crime. Launched shortly after his election in July 2024, Stuart has continually to raise the need for an uplift in rural policing. This responds to concerns that many police forces lack sufficient officers and supplies of equipment.
The event was also attended by NFU President Tom Bradshaw and the Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention, Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP. Stuart's request follows a separate report from the Countryside Alliance finding that rural crime affects one out of ten people who are living in rural areas.
Police and Crime Commissioner John Campion has revealed that 2.7 million hotspot patrols have taken place in Shropshire since 2023. This innovative method of policing uses the latest technology to maximise police presence in the areas most affected.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
"NFU Mutual's Rural Crime Report 2025 underscores the importance of my campaign to call time on rural crime in South Shropshire. While rural crime fell by 16.5% in the last year of the Conservative Government, it continues to cost farmers and others in the rural economy a staggering £44 million. The devastating impact of these crimes requires urgent government intervention. So, I have renewed my call for a rural uplift in police funding."
