Fired up

When the new Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner Philip Allott met the media last week just days after his election, he described himself as “on a little bit of a rollercoaster”, taking over from the previous Commissioner, Julia Mulligan. He had already met with the police and fire chiefs, and he had a clear agenda.

Rural crime is a major concern, and rightly so according to a recent survey by the National Farmers Union. Over the past 12 months, one in three farmers has been a victim of crime, and Yorkshire farmers have spent more than the national average on prevention measures. Rural areas are being actively targeted, and the average loss is over £4,000 per incident. Half the farmers surveyed said the police did a good job; half said they didn’t. Wasn’t this a bit of a failure, I suggested. Mr Allott pointed to the existing rural task force, supplemented by the rural watch….