National Rural Crime Action Week gets underway next week – and the Countryside Alliance is making sure rural communities have a voice.

From 6 - 11 September, National Rural Crime Action Week will bring together rural communities, policing organisations and campaigners to shine a light on the realities of crime in the countryside.

This year's theme is clear: police reform must include rural communities.

That matters because the way policing is organised is changing. Decisions being made now about police structures, priorities and resources could shape policing for years to come. As the National Rural Crime Network warns, rural communities cannot afford to be left out of those decisions.

For people living and working in the countryside, crime is not a marginal issue. Theft, fly-tipping, livestock worrying, vandalism, burglary and serious organised crime can have a profound impact on livelihoods, businesses and communities, while long distances and limited police visibility can make people feel particularly vulnerable.

Rural communities deserve the same protection and confidence in their police service as communities anywhere else.

Taking rural crime to Parliament

The Countryside Alliance is standing up for rural communities throughout Action Week.

On Tuesday 8 September, we will be bringing rural crime directly into the heart of Westminster with a Parliamentary Rural Crime Drop-in, kindly sponsored by Greg Smith MP.

The event will bring together MPs, policing representatives, rural organisations and people with first-hand experience of rural crime. It will give parliamentarians the opportunity to hear directly about the challenges facing rural communities and why those challenges must be properly considered as the government takes forward its police reform agenda.

Tell us what is happening in your community

Rural voices need to be in the room when decisions about rural policing are made and this Action Week is also an opportunity for rural people to make their experiences count.

The Countryside Alliance is giving people across the UK a way to tell us about incidents they have experienced or witnessed through our interactive rural crime map.

Report an incident on the Countryside Alliance Rural Crime Map

Every verified report helps us build a clearer picture of where rural crime is happening and the issues affecting rural communities. The evidence we gather strengthens our campaigning and helps us make the case for action based on the experiences of the people who live and work in the countryside.

You can report incidents including theft, fly-tipping, vandalism, livestock worrying, poaching and other rural crime. Submissions are checked by the Alliance before verified, anonymised incidents are published on the map.

If something has happened to you or in your community, tell us. Your experience matters.

The map does not replace reporting crime to the police. If a crime is in progress or there is an immediate danger, always contact the police directly and call 999 in an emergency.

National Rural Crime Action Week provides an important opportunity to put rural crime firmly on the national agenda. But for the Countryside Alliance, the campaign does not stop on 11 September.

We will continue gathering evidence from rural communities, highlighting their experiences and pressing government, Police and Crime Commissioners and police forces to recognise the particular challenges of policing the countryside.

The message we are taking to Westminster is simple:

• Rural communities must not be an afterthought in police reform
• When rural communities are overlooked, victims pay the price

Rural Crime Action Week: help us make sure rural crime is seen, heard and acted upon.