The Countryside Alliance has launched a new interactive rural crime map, giving communities across the UK a tool to highlight the reality of crime in the countryside and help build a national evidence base for change.
Rural crime continues to have a serious impact on those who live and work in the countryside, affecting livelihoods, mental well-being, and the sense of safety. From fly-tipping and theft to poaching and livestock worrying, many crimes go under-reported and are poorly reflected in official data, leaving rural areas overlooked and under-resourced.
The Alliance’s 2025 Rural Crime Survey highlights the scale of the problem:
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96% of respondents said rural crime is a significant issue in their area
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73% reported that crime has increased over the past year
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Almost 40% were directly affected by rural crime, yet around a third never reported incidents to the police
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Of those who did report, nearly half were dissatisfied with the response
The new map addresses these gaps by capturing verified reports from across the UK, providing a national picture of rural crime. It will help identify hotspots, emerging trends, and the true scale of issues, providing evidence to support engagement with government, policing bodies, media, and other decision-makers.
Sarah Lee, Director of Policy, Countryside Alliance, said:
“Rural crime is too often hidden, dismissed, or poorly understood. This interactive map will allow communities to show what is really happening in the countryside and help us build the evidence needed for better policing, smarter policy, and stronger support for rural areas.”
Tackling rural crime has long been a priority for the Countryside Alliance. Through campaigning, parliamentary engagement, and the UK’s largest annual rural crime survey, the Alliance has consistently pushed for improved policing, fairer resource allocation, and recognition of the unique challenges faced by rural communities.
The launch of the interactive rural crime map marks the next step in this work, giving people a direct way to contribute to the national picture and ensuring countryside crime can no longer be ignored.
The map is now live, and rural residents can report incidents directly through the platform.