Criminologist seeks views on rural policing

Dr Kreseda Smith wants to find out how people feel about the support they receive from the police

A criminologist is investigating people's experiences of rural policing.

Dr Kreseda Smith from Harper Adams University in Shropshire said she wanted to find out how the public felt about the support they received based on their interactions with the police and the wider criminal justice system.

She said she hoped the findings could "help shape decision makers' thoughts" in the future.

A series of focus groups have been arranged to hear people's stories, with the latest due to be held on the university campus on Tuesday between 14:30 and 16:00.

More focus groups are planned at Stoke Lacy Village Hall in Herefordshire on 9 June and at NFU Mutual in Redditch on 7 July.

Dr Smith is the director of the Rural Resilience Research Group at Harper Adams, which examines emerging risks to food chain resilience, such as rural crime.

People who are interested in attending the groups have been asked to contact Dr Smith at the university to register their interest.