Progress has been made in reducing fear of rural crime.

That's the message from Dorset Police and Crime Commissioner Martyn Underhill following the publication of a national survey.

Fly-tipping and speeding are the types of crime most rural residents are concerned about in Dorset, the survey revealed. But Mr Underhill stressed that work is already underway to tackle these issues.

He added: “For a small force, Dorset Police is already punching well above its weight in tackling driving related offences. It’s well known No Excuse team has had many successes in tackling the ‘fatal five’ driving offences in our county, of which speeding is one.

“The force also works closely with community speedwatch groups and funds various initiatives to educate drivers from all backgrounds about the dangers of speeding.”

Dorset Police has had a Rural Crime Team since 2016 as a result of one of Mr Underhill's election pledges. The team is dedicated to tackling rural crime and issues, with a focus on crime prevention.

According to the survey approximately half (47 per cent) of all Dorset respondents were aware of the specialist Rural Crime Team, compared to just 32 per cent of respondents nationally who were of aware of their local teams.

Mr Underhill said: “Almost half of Dorset’s residents live in rural areas and it is important that they are engaged and their voices are heard. Having met with a number of farmers, rural business owners and residents on my patrol visit with the Rural Crime Team earlier this year, it is clear that progress has been made in reducing the fear of rural crime in Dorset.

“The results of the survey also confirm what we already suspected – that rural crime is massively underreported. We want to encourage people living and/or working in rural Dorset to report crime. There seems to be a culture of not reporting crime in some rural areas and this is something the Rural Crime Team is trying to address.

“I am pleased the percentage in Dorset of people living in rural areas not reporting crime is lower (28 per cent) than the national figure (36 per cent). Police cannot tackle crime if they are not made aware that it is happening in the first place. Similarly, intelligence is needed to help bring offenders to justice. It is therefore vital that the public come forward with information and report crime to help the police help victims."

The National Rural Crime Survey received over 20,000 responses with more than 600 responses coming from Dorset residents.