I WRITE regarding your front page article "NFU Mutual survey shows a huge rise in cost of rural crime" in your issue of the Courier dated August 15. Within Mid Devon we are pleased that we have shown a reduction in rural crime. We made rural crime a priority last year and are very pleased with the results. Our Police Community Support Officers have worked tirelessly to engage with the rural community, visiting rural locations and encouraging the farming community in particular to join schemes such as Farmwatch, Community Messaging and they have delivered Crime Prevention packs to these hard to reach communities. The PCSO's have been committed to rural crime and put together a presentation, against other competitors and were able to gain further funding to provide them with more signs and Crime Prevention packs to deliver within these areas. The PCSO's have also been involved with talks to "Young Farmers", "Have Your Say" meetings and have been involved at local fairs and events. Within this time and during their visits to rural locations they have managed to Property Mark by way of engraving hundreds of items. Advice has been given to the rural community to encourage them to report crime and report any suspicious activities within their areas. The public have been very good and made use of the 101 non emergency number and 999. Also, simple advice has been given in relation to securing farm equipment and to keep keys for vehicles secure. The Neighbourhood Teams across Mid Devon, along with partners, have a regular rural crime meeting to discuss any issues and crime trends. We also work closely with our neighbouring force, Avon and Somerset, to ensure we cover all aspects of any cross border crime. Acting Inspector Jane Alford-Mole Crediton, Tiverton and Cullompton