Rural Safety Update - New Officer for South Bank

Police Constable Jane Proud has served her community as a police officer for over 20 years but has now been appointed the Rural Crime Officer to cover North and North East Lincolnshire.

Jane said, “I started my career as a patrol officer in Grimsby. I moved to Scunthorpe and after a few years went over to join traffic, which, when I joined the police I thought was where I really wanted to be, and although I did enjoy my time there I knew my calling was in the Neighbourhood side of policing so when a suitable job came up in 2009 I knew I’d found where I really felt at home. I started in Brigg and Wolds, including Brigg Town and the rural villages that are outlying the town. 

“This is where I started to get a real understanding of the needs of the rural community on the south bank of the Humber. When I arrived in the neighbourhood team at Brigg it felt there was a general lack of understanding and awareness by the police of the needs of our local rural residents and so started to focus on the problems facing our local farmers - the hare coursing, the theft from their farm yards and buildings. 

“I have really enjoyed my place in the Neighbourhood team and when the unique role of Rural Crime Officer came up I jumped at the chance of building on what I already had started to achieve in bringing our rural communities and local police teams closer together.

“With over 20 years’ experience in the police I feel extremely privileged to work in this role and do a job I really enjoy.  I am happiest when I am muddied up to the eyeballs and in a pair of wellies! 

“I know that having a Rural Crime Officer who understands the problems of the local farming community is so important to them and being visible in their own areas will give people more confidence in coming to us, knowing they will be understood and listened to.

“Although my neighbourhood experience has been mostly over in North Lincolnshire I am working hard to get to know the local rural communities in North East Lincolnshire to make sure that I understand what the issues are facing them as they are different to those of North Lincolnshire.

“In North Lincs we get a fair amount of hare coursing on the flat countryside of the area but the main area of concern is high value thefts. In North East Lincs there is a lot more of the night poaching and lamping but an issue that is facing both areas is the theft of machinery and items from machinery. Also theft of quad bikes which are then often used to commit crime and antisocial behaviour across the whole area.

“I believe there are a lot of things still not being reported to the police but I am hoping that as people know how seriously we take rural crime that more people will feel confident to come to us and report their concerns.

“Our communities are our eyes and ears, we cannot be everywhere all at once. However trivial someone thinks something is they should always report it, their information could be the key piece of the jigsaw that helps us bring someone to justice and helps prevent further victims of crime.

“There are lots of ways for people to contact us, not only through 101 but through their local Neighbourhood Police Community pages on our website where there is a direct email address to get in touch https://www.humberside.police.uk/find-my-team.  I would always encourage our local rural community to join their local CountryWatch scheme to help share information and get involved to make our community safer for everyone.

“Looking to the future I am looking forward to meeting more of our local farming and rural community residents and training more of our officers in wildlife crimes.  Sadly the current restrictions have delayed our plans of training up more of our local officers in rural matters and wildlife crimes but I am hoping soon to be able to offer this again, we are committed to looking after our rural communities and training more officers in this important area will only help us serve them better.

“One more piece of great news is that a brand new rural crime vehicle has just been delivered, it’s a Ford Ranger pickup truck which will make access to rural location so much easier and safer.  No more getting stuck in a muddy field in a patrol car for me!”

We wish Jane all the best in her new role and hope that if anyone in the North and North East Lincolnshire area needs to speak to her about rural crime they can contact her via 101 or by email on Sarah.Proud@humberside.pnn.police.uk

Police and Crime Commissioner Keith Hunter supports the work of the rural crime teams across the force and said: “I have been consistent in my approach of emphasising every community deserves responsive policing able to understand local issues and interact with residents to ensure local priorities are identified and targeted. As we continue to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the Force, and increase even further the number of officers available, we are really seeing the benefit as more and more officers are spread across the whole Force area. Having a dedicated rural officer with the right equipment for the south bank, to supplement the teams already policing those areas, is great news and mirrors the capability on the north bank. This is another progressive move for the Force, further recognising the specialist nature of rural issues, and is very welcome.”

New rural crime vehicle joins police fleet

A brand new, award winning (international 2020 Pick Up Award winner) is joining our police vehicle fleet to help our rural crime officer Jane Proud and her team go places they’ve never accessible before!

With a next generation Ford EcoBlue 2.0l diesel engine making it more powerful, more efficient, and with lower emissions than ever before. It is a twin cab, fully marked up police vehicle, with high powered auxiliary LED flood lights (providing daylight levels light in the hours of darkness).

Neighbourhood Policing Chief Inspector Paul French said, “The new Ford Ranger is a full 4x4 utility and will allow access to all terrain, by highly trained officers, ensuring we can get where we need to, helping us to fulfil our commitment to policing the rural communities and catching offenders causing harm to both rural residents and businesses.

“We recognise our rural communities cover vast areas, diverse terrains and this should not block our ability to police these areas. This vehicle will mean we can get the places we need to quickly, allowing a highly visible, engaging and accessible resource covering our communities.”