New service aims to tackle rural crime 

Around 400 workers from farms and rural businesses have already signed up to Suffolk Connected since it launched in October 2025, and it’s already making an impact, says Sergeant Chris Green, from the rural, wildlife and heritage crime team. 

The service is powered by Neighbourhood Alert, which is also used by many other police forces and nationally by Neighbourhood Watch. 

Whilst Suffolk Constabulary has always had a public messaging system, it was only one-way, with information being passed to the public via email. After seeing the success Neighbourhood Alert had in other counties, Suffolk decided to invest in the system. 

In its first three months, it has doubled its public membership from 2,000 to 4,000 and it’s hoped this number will continue to grow. 

“This is a great tool for the police and the rural community, as the details of what’s happening can be shared very quickly,” Sergeant Green explained. 

“This has already worked well when dealing with hare coursers to pass live locations and pass attending officers details like the what3words of exactly where they are at that moment. 

“Also rural users can set up their filters so they are receiving alerts that are local or they have a particular interest in. We have already seen some useful intelligence being submitted by sharing suspicious vehicles that have been active around rural businesses.”

An early warning system

Rural crime is a challenge in Suffolk by its very nature, Sergeant Green noted. Generally committed in more remote locations, there are fewer tools available to the police to catch and bring criminals to justice. 

“There is less chance that a crime is directly witnessed and less CCTV, ANPR etc compared to the denser urban areas. 

“This is why a tool like this is so important, as it keeps communities connected so people know what to look out for, and the update someone posts about something they have seen might be the vital piece of the jigsaw the police need to link a suspect or a particular vehicle to a crime.”

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Suffolk Connected will help to act as an early warning system to that people know earlier if something is happening in their area, he added. 

Officers and staff in all local policing areas have been trained to use the system – and whilst it will be used to share news stories and updates from across the county, the aim is to see hyper-local information being shared between police and communities in real time.

“The overall outcome is to reassure our communities that we are here and we are listening, and together we can stay connected to prevent crime,” Sergeant Green said.

Preventing thefts

The force also recently started a new campaign ‘Don’t Let it Happen to You’ – to help prevent thefts of high-value petrol power tools and ATVs, for which there is high demand on the criminal market. 

Posters and leaflets have been shared with major retailers across the county, giving

straightforward advice on simple and cost-effective ways to drastically reduce the chance of a burglary.

Lack of record-keeping is a major issue in getting tools back to their rightful owners. 

Advice to protect your investment includes:

• Photograph model numbers, serial numbers and unique marks
• Use hidden GPS trackers 
• Use bolted hinge fittings, and consider an internal alarm and heavy-duty padlocks with built-in alarms for sheds
• Modern CCTV with mobile alerts, and motion-activated lighting
• Avoid leaving valuable tools in vehicles 
• Engrave initials and postcode in hidden areas
• Register tools for free at www.immobilise.co.uk

You can sign up to Suffolk Connected for free at: www.suffolkconnected.org.uk