SOARING CRIME AND DRUG USE 'DESTROYING RURAL LIFE'

THE evidence that rural crime, vandalism and drug-taking are
threatening to destroy village and countryside life throughout Britain
is overwhelming (Tim Reid writes).

Police, insurers and countryside groups claim that many rural
communities face crime levels that are higher than in large towns and
cities.

National Farmers' Union Mutual, which insures thousands of farms and
country homes, said last night that rural crime had increased
sevenfold in the past decade, with remote areas being targeted by
travelling criminals from nearby towns. The company estimates that
crime now costs farmers pounds 100 million a year. Vehicle theft alone
costs them pounds 73 million.

"The rise in CCTV in town and city centres, plus better all-round
security in urban areas, is leading criminals to target the
countryside," Tim Price, of NFU Mutual, said. "It has become a huge
problem. People are now taking steps by having something large by
their beds, including firearms.

"It is obviously something we do not recommend. All sorts of accidents
can happen with guns being fired in the dark.

"East Anglia, where the Wisbech shooting occurred, had the steepest
rise in crime in England last year - over 16 per cent."

Last month the Women's Institute claimed in its first "state of the
countryside" survey for 43 years that a regular police presence was
missing from 71 per cent of villages, with a further 88 per cent
reporting that the nearest police station was at least two miles away.

The study noted a rise in the population in villages over the past
decade as city dwellers moved in search of a rural idyll - only to
find a lack of public services and the threat of crime.

There is also little co-ordination between police forces, making
"cross-border" crime particularly attractive. Wisbech lies close to
the border of three counties - Norfolk, Lincolnshire and
Cambridgeshire - and villagers claim that the respective forces often
fail to communicate.

"The old regional crime squads have been upgraded into the National
Crime Squad, which only deals with very serious crime," Gary Mason,
Editor of Police Review, said.

"So many of the smaller forces, like in the Wisbech area, struggle to
liaise or have systems in place to swap information on other crimes,
including burglary and violent robberies."

Rural crime rates are bucking the national trend. The Government's
latest crime figures revealed an overall drop in crime of about 5 per
cent.

Drugs have also become an enormous problem. A recent Home Office
report said drug abuse in many country areas was more prevalent than
in inner cities. Cannabis, Ecstasy and heroin were widely available,
the report said.