Tim Bonner: Poaching, rustling and dog theft aren't victimless crimes

One of the many damaging aspects of the romantic image of rural Britain that still pervades in some parts of society is the idea that rural crime is just a little bit of naughtiness. Not much more than taking a pheasant for the pot or scrumping apples.

In reality, we know that, far from being a harmless almost victimless activity, rural crime is increasingly organised, sophisticated and threatening. Hare poaching, machinery and diesel theft, livestock rustling and working dog theft are amongst the many crimes impacting on rural communities on a daily basis. We also know that such crimes also have more impact on close knit rural communities, where fear of crime is a serious issue for those living isolated lives, than in less connected urban areas.

The Alliance has made significant progress in raising awareness of the impact of rural crime amongst senior police officers, and Police and Crime Commissioners who control police budgets. One of the most powerful tools we have is our Rural Crime Survey which records the views of thousands of you and allows us to present them to those who decide how the countryside is policed.

Last year we received over 8,000 responses to the survey giving an invaluable insight into the thoughts and feelings of those who live and work in the countryside. The numbers did not always make easy reading for police forces. Nearly half of you thought that the police in their area didn't take rural crime seriously and, whilst over a third said that they have had a crime committed against them in the last 12 months, one in four of those were not being reported to the Police.

We fed those findings into candidates for the Police and Crime Commissioner elections in May and it was noticeable how rural crime became a central theme in many campaigns.

This year we are again seeking the views of those of you who live, work or regularly visit rural areas in England, Scotland and Wales to see how those attitudes and feelings have changed in the past year. We want to hear about your experiences of rural crime and policing in your area, about any crimes that have been committed against you, including ones that were not reported to the Police. How did being a victim of crime make you feel? Did the Police respond appropriately?

Your combined experiences will become the data we can use to let your police force and Police and Crime Commissioner know the issues that matter to you, and to develop a better understanding of the true picture of rural crime amongst Ministers and MPs.

This survey should only take 10 minutes, and all responses are anonymous. Please help us by taking part so that we can share your experience with those who can make a real difference in providing the resources and focus needed to tackle rural crime.