Neighbourhood Policing in Rural Communities
This guide is one in a series produced by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) Neighbourhood Policing Programme Team and is designed to assist practitioners at all levels in the service to deliver and sustain Neighbourhood Policing within rural communities. It will support you in identifying and addressing neighbourhood priorities, improving engagement and delivering safer neighbourhoods where people are confident that police and partners are working with them to deal with the issues that really matter.
Title: Neighbourhood Policing in Rural Communities
Author: NPIA Neighbourhood Policing Programme
Number of pages: 60
Date published: July 2008
Availability: Download full report PDF 2.63Mb LARGE FILE!
The successful implementation of Neighbourhood Policing is dependent on the police and partner agencies tailoring their services to the needs of local communities and tackling the issues that matter most to them. Neighbourhood Policing can be as effective in rural communities as it is in urban settings but there is often a need to adopt different techniques in order to make this a reality.
The policing needs of rural communities are different from those in our towns and cities. The ability of the police to respond quickly to calls for service may be constrained by distance, and by a rural population dispersed over wide areas.
Certain types of crime happen more often in rural areas and some crimes are almost uniquely rural, such as diesel or agricultural machinery theft. The impact of crime and disorder on victims and communities may be greater in rural areas where there may be fewer local amenities and people may feel more isolated and vulnerable. There may also be a perception that targeted policing in urban areas displaces crime to the countryside.
All these factors make policing of rural communities a challenging task and one which differs significantly from the policing of urban areas.
The aim of this booklet is to build on the previous guidance provided to Basic Command Unit (BCU) commanders, partners and neighbourhood team officers and to provide further guidance for the management and implementation of Neighbourhood Policing in rural areas.
The guidance has been produced with the help of a variety of organisations, including
- the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) and the Farmers’ Union of Wales,
- the Commission for Rural Communities (CRC),
- local authorities,
- several police forces and operational officers.
The guide is divided into six main sections:
- Organisational issues - providing guidance to BCU commanders and senior management teams (SMTs) and highlighting issues to consider when managing neighbourhood teams in rural areas.
- Access - exploring ways of ensuring that rural communities have access to policing or community safety services through a named point of contact.
- Influence - looking at methods that have been used to ensure that rural communities are able to influence community safety priorities in their neighbourhood.
- Interventions - providing examples of successful initiatives where joint action has been taken with communities and partners to solve problems in rural areas.
- Answers - giving examples where rural teams have successfully implemented sustainable solutions to problems and provided feedback on results.
- Community cohesion - exploring issues relating to community cohesion 2. and providing a variety of case studies from across the country.
Neighbourhood Policing continues to evolve and improve as teams find flexible approaches to delivering the service in their differing and diverse communities.
There can be a perception that Neighbourhood Policing was designed for urban settings and not for rural areas. While rural settings provide different challenges, it is clear that levels of fear and isolation can be just as high as in urban areas.
To provide rural communities with the high level of service that they deserve Neighbourhood Policing needs to be implemented effectively. Hundreds of police officers and PCSOs across the country have been working well with their partner agencies and local people to improve the quality of life within rural communities. Many officers have contributed their learning to this guide in the hope that other neighbourhood teams can draw on their experiences and adopt or adapt these examples of effective practice.
By adapting existing effective practice to suit local conditions we can improve the way in which we work. It is hoped that neighbourhood teams will be able to make use of the suggestions and ideas found within this guide to develop an excellent service that meets the needs of their rural communities.
Last update: Thursday, July 31, 2008