Organised Agricultural Crime: A Mixed Methods Study of the Field and Applying Global Research to North Wales

After decades of urban crime being a priority in criminology, the publication of rural crime has taken flight. Rural crime is an umbrella term that can take the interest of researchers. An element which has been neglected within this research is the organised element of crime in agriculture. Organised crime in criminology is highly researched area by academics. However, when combining it with the agricultural sector, there is a lack of research as there is not one definition for organised agricultural crime. This thesis aims to provide a starting point in filling this gap in research.

Beginning with writing a scoping / narrative literature review of the literature previously published concerning rural crime. This will provide a framework the empirical research that will be conducted in the next two parts. After surveying where organised agricultural crime fits into the research already conducted; qualitative research will be conducted with researchers from different countries that have a vaster understanding of the subject. Finally, qualitative research will be conducted with North Wales Police to understand the impact of organised agricultural crime in the region. This will then allow for the qualitative research with global experts to address organised agricultural crime in North Wales.