ONE of the best celebrations of rural life and rural voices in our region has to be Devon County Show.

It was an honour to be asked again to participate in the royal line-up to meet Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. I was also pleased to be asked by Devon County Show President John Lee to be on his rural matters Question Time panel. I heard interesting updates about the work of the NFU at the president’s reception.

Devon and Cornwall’s far-reaching rolling green landscape means it is home to many farmers and rural businesses. However, it also makes the region a target for rural crime.

This can include everything from the theft of farm machinery and animal rustling, to fly-tipping and illegal gatherings.

When it comes to rural theft, incidents are often instigated by organised crime activity. These gangs target high-value farm machinery and GPS equipment because it can be sold all over the world.

Devon and Cornwall Police’s rural affairs team do an outstanding job working with farmers to keep crime rates down.

Over the past few weeks, they have been running trailer marking events across Devon and Cornwall to help prevent theft and protect property in rural communities.

Its latest campaign aims to alert people to the dangers posed by dogs to livestock as attacks continue to rise. New legislation gives police wider powers to investigate and act on incidents of livestock worrying – defined as when a dog attacks, chases or causes stress to one or more farm animals.

The easiest solution is for dog owners to keep their pets on a lead near livestock because if they are under proper control, it eliminates all risk of a potential injury – or worse.

Devon County Show is a great opportunity for the force to educate and engage with the public in a fun way, and this year was no different.

At the show I enjoyed meeting up with the rural crime team at their stand, the roads policing team who brought with them their Batak reaction-testing board, local neighbourhood teams, and tri-service safety officers who are unique to Devon and Cornwall and are multi-skilled to deal with police, ambulance and fire and rescue incidents.

The police dog unit also caused great excitement with its annual display showcasing the incredible skills of its highly trained dogs and dog handlers.

The Chief Constable and I were pleased to give a commissioner’s award to dog training manager Sergeant Phil Wilson in recognition of his unwavering commitment to dog training and dog development ahead of his retirement.

Attending Devon County Show enabled me to hear concerns about rural crime which remains one of the key priorities in my police and crime plan.

It also enabled me to publicly launch my new police force mergers survey to enable the residents of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly to have their say.

To fill in the survey, visit: tinyurl.com/yhk2h76y. The deadline is 11.45pm on July 12.