Rural crime costs fall in South East, insurers say

The cost of rural crime has fallen in the South East, insurers say, but quad bikes and other all-terrain vehicles remain high on thieves’ shopping lists.

Rural crime costs fell by 67% in Surrey, 22% in Kent and 54.5% in West Sussex – however it increased by 51% in East Sussex, according to a new report by National Famers Union (NFU) Mutual.

The study says rural crime cost the counties about £2.7m in 2024, down from almost £4m in the previous year.

Sussex Police said: “In Sussex specifically, the cost of rural theft in 2024 has fallen by 25% compared to the previous year.”

Thefts of all-terrain vehicles vehicles in a region of south-east England stretching from Oxfordshire and Hampshire to Kent cost about £548.000, which was the second highest total for one of the NFUs regions throughout the UK.

Frank Langrish, a sheep farmer from Rye, told BBC South East farmers were still being targeted, and he was spending more on security as a result.

“We’ve put in huge amounts of protection with CCTV and alarm system on everything we’ve got,” he said.

“This is costing us thousands of pounds a year.”

Mr Campbell, from NFU Mutual, said: “In recent years we’ve seen rural crime becoming increasingly organised, serious and persistent in nature, with thieves willing to pull out all the stops to get what they desire.”