THE NFU has called for every police force to have a dedicated rural police team following stark new crime figures.

The survey by the National Rural Crime Network (NRCN) show that only 27 per cent of respondents think their local police are doing a good job - however in North Yorkshire the figure was 38 per cent.

It also found that nationally 69 per cent of farmers and rural businesses have been a victim of crime in the last 12 months and 60 per cent are fairly or very worried of being victims in the future.

At the same time the number of crimes not reported by rural residents is up by a third and up two-thirds by businesses.

The NFU, which sits on the NRCN executive board, renewed its call for dedicated rural police teams to better protect isolated and vulnerable areas.

Guy Smith, NFU deputy president, said: "The NFU has long called for dedicated rural policing teams in each force to tackle this growing problem. We have seen some great examples of police forces getting on the front foot with its rural policing and it is now time to see others follwing suit.

North Yorkshire Police performed better in terms of public perception. Nationally only 27 per cent of respondents said their police were doing a good job but of the 2,514 respondents in North Yorkshire the figure was 38 per cent.

Temporary Chief Constable Lisa Winward said the results of the previous national rural crime survey resulted in the Force launching its own Rural Policing Strategy. "As part of this strategy, we have one of the largest

Rural Taskforces in the country, showing how determined we are to meet the needs of our rural communities - and we are now at the forefront of best practice when it comes to rural policing," she said. "It is therefore pleasing that we are bucking the national trend, with more people in North Yorkshire agreeing the police do a good job in rural areas than the national average."

However, she said they were not complacent and remain focused on providing the service that rural communities expect and deserve.

The North Yorkshire Police Rural Taskforce consists of an inspector, two sergeants, seven constables, seven police community support officers, and special constables. It also has an intelligence analyst and a rural policing co-ordinator. It also works closely with Rural Watch schemes.

The NFU, in partnership with Crimestoppers, has a Rural Crime Reporting line on which farmers can anonymously report large-scale industrial fly-tipping, hare coursing, machinery and livestock thefts on 0800 783 0137 or visit www.ruralcrimereportingline.uk