MP quizzes Policing Minister on Rural Crime and Antisocial Behaviour in West Oxfordshire

Bicester and Woodstock MP Calum Miller has met with the Minister for Policing, Sarah Jones, to raise concerns about antisocial behaviour in Long Hanborough and the growing pressure on police resources across rural areas.

In a meeting at the Home Office, Calum Miller questioned whether local forces have the resources they need to tackle rural crime and whether the Government’s policing strategy gives sufficient attention to rural communities compared with towns and cities.

Calum highlighted that rural crime is not limited to theft of vehicles or equipment, but increasingly includes antisocial behaviour, fly-tipping, vandalism and organised theft from farms and small businesses. He pressed the Minister to ensure that funding and staffing formulas reflect the challenges faced by rural police forces and that new commitments on recruitment and visibility are delivered fairly across the country.

Speaking after the meeting, Calum Miller MP said:

“People in Long Hanborough and villages across West Oxfordshire are rightly concerned about antisocial behaviour and rural crime. Local residents deserve to see visible policing and rapid responses, not a postcode lottery where rural areas lose out.

I urged the Minister to make sure that the Government’s policing plan delivers for rural areas as well as towns and cities, and that funding is distributed in a way that reflects real need on the ground.”

The Minister for Policing, Sarah Jones MP, agreed that rural crime requires a more consistent and better-resourced response, and recognised the need for greater focus on how police funding translates into practical delivery in rural forces.