1. Will the First Minister make a statement on tackling rural crime? OAQ(5)0692(FM)

Yes. We work closely with Welsh police forces, Natural Resources Wales and local authorities to prevent and tackle rural crime and to help make people feel safer both at home and in public places.

Thank you, First Minister. Rural crime, of course, costs the rural economy over £2 million each year. In north Wales, we have a very hard-working rural crime team, working with other agencies, but they estimate that 75 per cent of their workload is related to livestock crime. In three years, 2,000 sheep have been killed in 400 separate dog attacks. They tackle vehicle theft, rural business theft, as well as badger baiting and animal abuse. Will you endorse with me here today and support the excellent work carried out by the north Wales rural crime team and pledge your support, and any additional resources that might be available, for their sterling work going forward?

Bearing in mind that policing is not devolved and, therefore, funding largely comes from the Home Office, but I can say that, of course, we support the team. The Cabinet Secretary met with the team on 15 June and received an update on the scale of the issues, the response that they had put in place, and also the work ongoing to change the law at a UK level.

First Minister, in Islwyn, we face, on the historic Twm Barlwm tump, the scourge of fly-tipping, and it costs Wales nearly £2 million each year in clean-up costs, which ultimately have to be paid by the taxpayer. This rural crime is harmful to human health and spoils the enjoyment of our stunning countryside. Since 2007, Welsh Government has funded Fly-tipping Action Wales, an initiative co-ordinated by National Resources Wales and involving over 50 partners working together to tackle fly-tipping through education. What does the Welsh Government believe are the actions needed to achieve our vision of combatting this menace?

Firstly, a change of attitude and culture, so that some people—those who do fly-tip—realise how anti-social it is. Secondly, of course, enforcement and working with Natural Resources Wales and local authorities, and the public, indeed, to make sure that happens. And, thirdly, through enforcement of penalties. For example, we know that we’ve looked at introducing fixed penalty notices for small-scale fly-tipping incidents. That provides local authorities with a more efficient and proportionate response to low-level, high-volume offences, but, of course, for those who are more serious and more serial offenders, then, of course, they can be prosecuted within the law. But this does depend on intelligence coming from the public in order to provide the evidence in the first place.

This week, Dyfed-Powys Police and Aberystwyth University are carrying out a study of rural crime to try to gather evidence, because we believe that rural crime costs more than some of the figures quoted to date. Would you join with me in encouraging farmers to contribute to that study, and in congratulating Dyfed-Powys Police on using sheep DNA for the first time ever to ensure that someone will face prosecution and be found guilty of sheep rustling? This is an exciting development in the area of rural crime.

Yes, of course I will. It’s vital that we can secure more evidence so that people can be prosecuted. Of course, the police and every authority are dependent on the information that they receive from farmers and others living in rural areas so that they can augment that evidence.