Rural estates are vulnerable to break-ins, with police wait times providing a window for organised crime groups (ORGs) to access country properties, one security expert told Spear’s
ORGs are increasingly targeting rural properties, according to the National Police Chief’s Council, and large country estates and farms are especially vulnerable.
The cost of rural crime was £44.1 million in 2025, much of which fell on landowners, according to data from the National Farmers’ Union. This marks a 16.5 per cent decrease since 2023, when it cost £52.8 million, partly due to greater police focus, although the increased sophistication of ORGs puts this at risk, argued security expert Clive Panton of Praetorian Advisory.
‘Over the years, police response times have got worse and worse,’ said Panton. ‘When this is combined with the increased sophistication of some criminals, there is nothing an organised crime group cannot do nowadays.’
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Rural criminal gangs are aware of how long it takes for the police to reach properties in certain areas of the countryside, said Panton, who used to be a police constable and has firsthand knowledge of the issue.
‘They would know where we were going to respond from, and by the time we got to the scene, there would be a call 20 minutes away in the other direction,’ he said. ‘We’d be chasing tails, basically.’
The government announced major reforms to policing in January this year, which included a maximum 20-minute wait time for emergency calls in rural areas. While providing some certainty to residents, Panton argued this provides the same level of certainty to ORGs.
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In addition, physical security measures, such as guards and tall gates, are ‘obsolete’, he said.
‘It is no longer a deterrent to them – it’s simply something they have in front of them that they know they can get through. They will cut through a gate in two minutes and go and take what they want.’
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Strengthening your digital footprint is a more effective way of adding to a property’s security, said Panton. Social media posts showing the location of a house and what is inside is something that often leaves families vulnerable to crime.
‘It is a gold mine for anyone who is looking for something to steal,’ he said. ‘Posting valuable household objects and the exterior of the house should be avoided so ORGs cannot identify anything. Posting pictures while on holiday should be avoided, too, as it lets them know the house could be empty.’
Cybersecurity specialist Lucy Burnford, founder of security firm coc00n, agreed that digital infrastructure is often overlooked by owners of expansive rural estates when strengthening their security.
Important security systems can be compromised by ORGs if they can access them through less advanced appliances which are on the same internet network, she explained.
‘How secure is the entirety of your estate if your wine fridge can be compromised and an attacker can move laterally on the network?’
Burnford therefore suggested keeping less-sophisticated technology on separate online networks to security systems, to decrease vulnerability to cyber attacks.
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The online robustness of third-party security providers should also be checked, said Burnford. Plant rooms, gate automation systems and building management systems are often installed and operated by different companies – each of these businesses should be able to prove their internet security.
Country real estate specialist Matthew Sudlow of Stoneacre Advisors has seen that security is at the forefront for UHNW property buyers looking in the UK countryside.
‘What improvements could be made to a property’s security are almost always brought up during the buying process,’ he said.
Sudlow has helped advise clients on choosing security firms to help manage their properties and has noticed that people still want physical security in the countryside.
‘People often look for in-house security teams, which can include ex-military personnel who work at the property round the clock,’ he said.
Lodges and small outbuildings that can house security teams and software are also in demand, Sudlow noted. Many of the properties his clients buy contain strong rooms, or clients have them installed, so that there is somewhere secure for them to wait should emergency services need to be called.
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