RCAT, by nature of what we do and the communities we serve, allows you, the public, to influence how we go about our business and what issues are treated as a priority. This is equivalent to the Neighbourhood Panel Priority process carried out by other teams within the constabulary. The sheer size of the area that we cover means that we cannot run neighbourhood panels with everyone who is affected by the rural issues we deal with. Instead we work closely with Cambridgeshire Countryside Watch, attending their regular management meetings. At these meetings representatives of the rural community from across the county tell us what is most important to them, and identify to us the issues that they think have the greatest impact on quality of life in rural areas.

Our current priorities set are hare coursing, fly tipping, illegal raves and theft of agricultural plant and machinery.

• Hare coursing is important to the rural community because of the crime and disorder that comes with it. Hare coursers are trespassers, who roam around land with no regard for what they might be damaging or who they inconvenience as they do so. Also, hare coursing has historically been linked to violence, intimidation and theft being perpetrated against farmers and other rural dwellers. It has long been of grave concern to the rural community.
• Fly tipping is important to rural communities in consequence of the damage it causes to land both private and public, and the amount it costs to clear up afterwards. Many people don't realise that the onus and the expense of clearing up illegal tips falls on the landowner, and so the damage caused to an individual's property is only ever the start of their problems.
• Theft of agricultural plant and machinery is important to farmers particularly, but also to others who live and work in rural areas. These items are frequently more valuable than most motor cars, but are far less likely to be recovered if they are stolen because they are so much easier to disguise. This means that it frequently takes a great deal of time and effort before they can be replaced, causing long delays in the work they were intended to be used for.
• Illegal raves cause numerous problems for rural landowners. They consist of large groups of people gathering in the hours of darkness for the purpose of a rave. They do not have permission to do this and will often cause damage to property and crops in doing so, not to mention disturbing residents nearby and creating an additional problem of leaving litter and mess behind.