Scottish conservative shadow rural affairs secretary Rachael Hamilton has ramped up efforts to tackle rural crime throughout the country.
Ms Hamilton – who says the cost of rural crime recached a staggering £2.6 million in 2021 – met with conservative MP for Buckingham Greg Smith to discuss her plans to introduce a Rural Theft Bill in the Scottish parliament.
Her plans, which may be brought forward via her own Members Bill or via another piece of legislation, would require all new quad bikes and off-road bikes to be fitted with immobilisers and identifying marks to make it harder for them to be stolen.
Mr Smith’s Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill is currently progressing through both the House of Commons and House of Lords, with a second reading agreed in the Lords last month, now set to be heard by a Lords Committee.
Ms Hamilton said the meeting gave her ”good ideas” to build upon gaining support for her proposals in the same way that he has managed south of the border.
“It was great to have a chance to chat with Greg Smith about how he has brought forward his own bill in the Commons in relation to tackling rural crime,” she said.
“The meeting was positive and constructive and left me with a lot of good ideas to take forward as to how I can gain support for my own plans, in a similar way that Greg has achieved.
“Rural crime is costing our rural economy millions each year which is devastating for them and I am determined to tackle this issue. I was proud to bring forward plans at Scottish Conservative conference for a rural bill that would bring in new measures, which would make it harder for equipment to be stolen.
“Whether I push these changes with a specific bill or through another piece of legislation remains to be seen, but I will continue to liaise closely with key stakeholders and show that we are standing up for our rural communities.”
Ms Hamilton said ”far too often” the SNP-Green government neglect rural areas and those involved feel their concerns – such as the threat of being victims of crime – are always ignored.
Meanwhile, across the border, the NFU, NFU Mutual and representatives from 40 police forces have come together to discuss the growing surge in machinery and equipment thefts, livestock rustling and industrial fly-tipping.
New research from NFU Mutual has revealed the cost of GPS theft in the first four months of 2023 exceeded £500,000, more than double compared to the same period last year.
