The National Farmers Union believes a 'consistent and joined up' approach is needed to combat rural crime.

NFU deputy president Guy Smith made the call as new figures show the cost of rural theft has hit a five year high.

New figures from NFU Mutual reveal that rural theft cost £44.5m in 2017, a year-on-year rise of 13.4 per cent which represents the highest increase since 2010.

The NFU’s Combatting Rural Crime report called for a consistent and co-ordinated approach across all involved parties, including government and police, to help tackle the issue of rural crime.

"These alarming and profoundly depressing figures will come as no great surprise to farmers on the ground, who often feel in a state of siege from the criminal fraternity," he said.

"Every day the NFU hears from its members about this rural blight that has a seriously detrimental effect on their lives and businesses. Whether its fly tipping, hare coursing or general burglary and theft, it all impacts on the daily lives of farmers in far-reaching and costly ways.

"It is imperative that government and police forces have a joined up and consistent approach when it comes to policing and prosecution as outlined in the NFU’s rural crime report."

Since the release of the report, the NFU has been leading a co-ordinated approach to address a range of rural crimes. The importance of a variety of measures to tackle this important issue has been made clear to government and police, as well as the need for a cross-departmental rural crime taskforce.

The NFU’s engagement culminated in a summit on hare coursing in December last year, which involved the National Wildlife Crime Unit, the Crown Prosecution Service and 31 police forces, representing over 90 per cent of forces facing issues with hare coursing in England and Wales.

Mr Smith continued: "We encourage members to stay vigilant and utilise security equipment such as CCTV and trackers, and to join rural watch schemes. I’m aware farmers cannot counter this scourge of increasing lawlessness without proper support from the authorities.

"Clearly police forces will need better resources based on a fairer funding formula so they can properly protect our rural populations from this increasing threat."