8. What action is the Welsh Government taking to help reduce rural crime? OQ56909

I thank the Member. In addition to increasing the number of Welsh Government-funded police community support officers to 600, we are also investing in a new national rural crime co-ordinator for Wales. That post will establish a Wales-specific training programme for police officers and improve multi-agency efforts to tackle rural crime.

Diolch, First Minister. Crime in the countryside causes serious distress to our rural communities, with agricultural vehicle thefts, sheep worrying and the vandalism of wildlife nesting areas all being reported in recent months. As a member of Wales YFC, these are issues that I'm all too aware of, and, as you mention, we are fortunate that Rob Taylor, Wales's wildlife and rural crime co-ordinator, has a passion and dogged determination to cut rural crime across Wales through a cohesive and collaborative approach between Welsh police forces. And while this role is being funded by the Welsh Government, that funding is due to stop in only a few short months. Therefore, what reassurances can you give to Wales's rural communities that the wildlife and rural crime co-ordinator will receive longer term funding to ensure Rob, his expertise and enthusiasm, aren't lost in the battle against rural crime? Diolch.

Diolch yn fawr. Thank you for what Samuel Kurtz said about the person appointed to the post, because you're absolutely right, he is someone with an enormous track record and a huge passion for this work. We said in the beginning that we would do this, Llywydd, on a pilot basis to see whether it delivered the advantages we think are there to be delivered. We will evaluate the pilot, of course, and then we will have to make the difficult decisions that are there when we come to set our own budget in the light of the comprehensive spending review. If the evidence is there of success, and I know the Member will have seen—. This is not to devalue at all the important points he made about the nature of rural crime, but it was encouraging to see the National Farmers Union report that Wales had seen the biggest reduction in rural theft between 2019 and 2020 of any part of the United Kingdom. When it does happen, it is deeply distressing to people in the way that the Member said. The national rural crime co-ordinator is one of the ways in which we can try to build further on that achievement of recent times.

I thank the First Minister.