Since July, he has been running training sessions for Thames Valley police officers on different types of rural crime. Five sessions, each lasting two hours, have been run so far.
“Thames Valley Police have made tackling rural crime a priority and it really shows,” said Mr Cackett, who is the adviser for Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. “Farmer confidence in the Police has grown locally and statistics show rural crime decreasing.” His initiatives and other events such as the rural crime forums have helped, Mr Cackett added.
Each training session aims to give officers an overview of the farming calendar, a rundown on the various types of rural crime and some of the relevant legislation. More than 20 officers have attended each session. Topics covered include agricultural machinery; dog attacks on livestock, firearms and shotguns, hare coursing (trespassing, chasing and killing brown hare with dogs illegally); public rights of way; and livestock rustling.
Further training sessions are planned for the coming months.
Pictured: Tom Cackett at a police training session
