One of the best celebrations of rural life and rural voices in our region has to be Devon County Show. Every year thousands of visitors flock to Westpoint to immerse themselves into an agricultural showcase of Devon’s best farming, food and entertainment.

It was an honour to be asked again to participate in the Royal Line Up to meet Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh. Those also invited to take part included Chief Constable James Vaughan and the chairs of Devon County Council and East Devon District Council.

I was also pleased to be asked by Devon County Show President John Lee to be on his Rural Matters Question Time panel. Other participants included local Michelin star chef Michael Caines, Rt Rev Mike Harrison, the Bishop of Exeter, and Tom Bradshaw, President of the National Farmers Union (NFU). Questions ranged from fly-tipping to Brexit.

I heard interesting updates about the work of the NFU at the President’s Reception hosted by Tom. The NFU champions British agriculture and horticulture and represents more than 45,000 farms and businesses.

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.

It not only has a devastating financial impact on the livelihoods of of those living and working in isolated communities but also takes an emotional toll – especially on repeat victims.

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 & 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. Officers have reported a “strong uptake” which I hope will lead to a reduction in thefts or at least if trailers are recovered they can go back to their rightful owner.

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.

Police can now seize and detain dogs suspected of chasing, attacking or threatening livestock. They can enter premises under a warrant to collect potential evidence and take forensic samples from dogs such as collecting DNA or mouth impressions. Only last week, police launched an appeal after a dog allegedly attacked and injured a miniature Shetland therapy pony in Bere Alston.

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. Among its many vehicles that made an appearance at the show was the newest addition to its fleet – a tractor – with a competition for children to name it.

It has been loaned to the force for free by Chudleigh-based firm Masons Kings and has been adorned with Devon & Cornwall Police branding. It will be used as an engagement tool by Rural Affairs officers at events during the summer to raise awareness of rural crime.

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 Sgt 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.

Last week I submitted my views as part of the Independent Review of Police Force Structures, but the survey results will enable me to influence any next stages of reform.

To fill in the survey please click here Survey on Police Force Mergers The survey deadline is 11.45pm on July 12.