Rural communities in Oxfordshire claim they are becoming increasingly targeted by thieves from inner cities who see their villages as easy targets, writes Zahra Akkerhuys.

As the national crime rate in rural communities continues to rise, criminologists say that country dwellers are not just the victims of the local opportunistic thief.

Instead, they are being hit by more organised criminal gangs who target certain sectors of the rural population because of their proximity to major arterial roads.

The thieves are believed to first identify quiet villages and hamlets along motorway corridors and then visit them a day or so before the burglary giving them a chance to plan their crime. Their detailed research means that when they return they can quickly swoop into a village, commit a burglary and be out of the county again within minutes - making detection virtually impossible.

And in the knowledge that police response times in rural areas can be sluggish compared to urban areas, the rural community is proving easy pickings.

Chairman of the Police Federation for Thames Valley, Martin Elliott, says: "It is always the case, especially with improved transport routes, that villains will come out of large conurbations such as London or Reading into rural communities.

"Many even use public transport, if they do not have access to a car, although they don't like being arrested in areas away from home because it makes it harder to organise visits from their families." Organisations such as Neighbourhood Watch are becoming increasingly important as people are forced to rely on the vigilance of neighbours to keep an eye on their properties when they are not there.

Thames Valley Police is currently compiling a massive report which will give a statistical breakdown of crime in every village in Oxfordshire. The report is due to be released later this month.

One resident of the small village of Warmington, near Banbury, who asked not to be named, said: "The village looks is very picturesque and it looks as if nothing happens here, but we have to be so careful. Security is so important here, I know that several of my neighbours have been burgled.

"Whenever we see a car hanging around that we don't recognise we make a note of its registration number just in case. "We believe that the thieves are coming from inner London or Birmingham. Security is getting tighter in the big cities so they just leap into their cars and within an hour they're in the heart of the country - in villages like ours."

Treasurer of the Chipping Norton and District Crime Prevention Panel Marilyn Ivings, says: "The transport routes are getting so marvellous that people can get to places, burgle a house and be away again without anyone even noticing."

Some residents living in rural communities have developed a siege mentality but in actual fact, the crime rate for the Thames Valley region is below average.

A total of 85,000 crimes were reported in the Thames Valley last year, four thousand fewer than the national average. But although the Thames Valley has a lower crime rate than many other parts of the country, the percentage of crimes solved here last year dipped well below the national average with just a quarter of crimes cracked, compared with the national average of 29 per cent.

A new survey by the NFU Mutual insurance society shows that thefts and burglaries from countryside homes and village businesses cost 168 million last year - a rise of six per cent.

This was more than double the cost of crimes on farms where the cost of cases of theft fell to 82.1million. The society says that thieves have turned their attention to homes and other businesses because today's crisis in farming has reduced the saleability of stolen farm equipment and livestock.

But Mrs Ivings says the theft of farming tools and quad bikes, which are easily sold on, has continued to rise in north Oxfordshire. Crime prevention panels across the county are working hard to help people protect their homes from thieves by encouraging them to mark their possessions with a special marker pen.

But research shows that what people really want to see is an increase in the number of officers on the beat.

Mr Elliott says: "Though Oxfordshire is still a relatively peaceful area I would still like to see a higher police presence. I think part of our role is about making people feel secure, helping to reduce the fear of crime."