VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Police: Rural Areas

Asked by James NaishLabourHome OfficeTabled Answered 26 June 2025UIN 60988

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she plans to allocate rural crime teams in each police force.

Answered by Dame Diana Johnson

This financial year the Home Office will be providing the first funding since 2023 for the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) as well as continuing funding for the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). The funding boost of over £800,000 will help the units tackle those crimes that predominantly affect our rural communities.

The Government is committed to strong neighbourhood policing for everyone in England and Wales, wherever they live – including those in our rural communities. The Neighbourhood Policing Programme has been given £200m for 2025/2026. Individual forces will decide how best to spend their allocation of this funding to recruit a workforce mix tailored to suit their local context and operational needs, informed by a force-level understanding of these priorities and objectives.

Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →

Open this question in Verbatim →

Every written question, searchable

155,000 questions tabled since the election, with the answer each department gave — and the ones still unanswered, with the clock running. Free to search.

Search written questions →Read on Verbatim