People can take a number of precautionary measures to help cut the chances of being a victim of crime, and technological developments are playing an important role. Sometimes, adopting technology intended for another use entirely might well give farmers and landowners the edge over the criminals. CLA members have come up with some ingenious ways to make it difficult for thieves – from capturing criminals’ movements using cameras intended for filming urban foxes, to using motion sensitive cameras into use to monitor bird boxes.

There are a range of more traditional actions that those in rural areas can also take to help combat rural crime, such as installing security lights and ensuring valuable equipment, vehicles and machinery are stored in secure buildings.

A co-ordinated front can help make it much more difficult for thieves to strike and can also help catch criminals after a crime has been committed.  We advise our members in the strongest terms to make life difficult for criminals by taking security seriously, and to report any criminal or suspicious activity swiftly.

Co-operation is key to battling this issue and that is why initiatives such as the National Rural Crime Network, supported by 29 UK Police and Crime Commissioners, are of great value to rural communities. Surveying the true cost of rural crime is fundamental to raising awareness of the issue and supporting those who may be affected by it.

By working together in the fight against rural crime, the protection for those living in rural areas can receive a real boost.

The CLA, which represents landowners, farmers and rural businesses across England and Wales, has around 33,000 members. Keep up to date with rural issues facing our members by visiting www.cla.org.uk or follow @CLAtweets for more information.