ABSTRACT
Whilst the volume of crime in rural communities and environments is often lower than in urban locations, they are certainly are not immune from those who pursue criminal activities. Indeed, the consequences and impact of an incident or crime committed often has a much deeper and far-reaching impact, both on the victim and community as a whole. The Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) recognises the need to tackle rural crime in all its forms plus target any criminality including those who want to make money at the expense of hard-working, law-abiding people, thus threatening the very fabric of rural communities. Secured by Design (SBD) is a police initiative that improves the security of buildings and their immediate surroundings to provide safe places to live, work, shop and visit. SPARC champions SBD crime prevention schemes aimed at designing out crime, which not only reduces opportunities for criminality but also helps reduce the carbon footprint resulting from crime.
