Rural crime and rural policing have received comparatively less attention from an academic and policy perspective than urban crime. The aim of this research was to better understand how the police can connect with people living in rural communities. Focus groups were conducted with members of the public, police staff and officers on the key question: ‘How can the police best connect with people living in rural communities?’ Rural Connect contains some strong messages and makes recommendations on the ways engagement and connection within rural communities can be improved upon. Key messages include the value of neighbourhood police officers and volunteers, the importance of developing and maintaining local knowledge and encouraging local decision making.
Read the Police and Crime Commissioner for Dyfed-Powys response here:
| Kate Williams, Director of the Welsh Centre for Crime and Social Justice (WCCSJ) Aberystwyth UniversityEmail: khw@aber.ac.uk
Sarah Tucker, Research Associate, Universities’ Police Science Institute Cardiff University Email: TuckerS1@cardiff.ac.uk OPCC contact: Sharon Richards, Performance Manager. Email: Sharon.richards@dyfed-powys.pnn.police.uk |