Local PCSO, Alexander Mackay, is launching a scheme to help combat rural crime in the Vale of Glamorgan. The system will involve building a database of farmers in the rural areas of the Vale, and their contact details, in order that notifications can be sent out at the click of a button when suspicious behaviour has been reported.
PCSO Mackay informed Vale MP Alun Cairns and Flemingston farmer John Thomas at a strategy meeting over the weekend, that rural crime in the Vale of Glamorgan often goes unreported. The scheme will not only alert farmers to take extra precautions when suspicious behaviour is reported, but will also help the Police to recognise any crime patterns occurring in the Vale.
PSCO Mackay tells the Gem, “Any incidents, from theft to trespassing, should be reported to 101 immediately. You would be surprised how helpful even the smallest piece of information can be when trying to get to the bottom of an incident.
“It is possible for those who report rural crime to request that the Police follow up in the most convenient way possible, whether this be with a phone call or a visit.”
Mr Cairns, who will be helping to coordinate the scheme, commented “I am often shocked when constituents inform me of rural crime which has taken place in the Vale, especially when it has not been reported to the Police because the victims do not feel that this is necessary or that the crime was serious enough to warrant doing so.
“Should farmers wish to forward me their contact details, I will happily pass these on to PCSO Mackay. This network will be vital in tackling rural crime, particularly in preventing the theft of livestock, machinery and valuable equipment.”