Clarke welcomes commitment to reducing rural crime

Alliance Down Councillor Patrick Clarke has welcomed Justice Minister David Ford committing to reducing rural crime levels.

Justice Minister David Ford addressed members of the farming community at a rural crime conference held at Crumlin Road Gaol, Belfast.

Speaking after the Rural Crime Conference Clarke stated, “Rural crime greatly impacts on rural farming communities and the rural economy and can damage farm businesses.

“I welcome that the Department of Justice are committed to tackling rural crime in Northern Ireland. The Department of Justice has been working with key stakeholders including the Ulster Farmer’s Union to raise awareness regarding the impacts of rural crime and what further measures which can be taken to address.

He added, “Over the last twelve months there has been a 9.6% reduction in agricultural crime in Northern Ireland however there are still concerns in regards to the theft of agricultural machinery and livestock so we need the farming community to continue to protect their farm such as tracker devices to protect their machinery.”

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Posted by Newry Times News on Nov 17 2014. Filed under Politics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry