Members of rural communities are being urged to report crime as soon as possible as part of a Fife-wide campaign.
PC Stuart Bruce said that reducing countryside crime is a priority for officers in Fife, but that assistance would be required from the public to help target offenders.
Part of the Rural Watch initiative, Mr Bruce said that local officers would be doing everything in their capacity to highlight their presence and detect those committing crimes in the countryside.
Key to this is encouraging farmers, landowners and residents to report any suspicious activity, with PC Bruce saying that time is of the essence in dealing with such matters.
“Locally, we want to show feet on the ground, detect crime and make sure that we are visible and doing the things we say we are going to do,” he said.
“Because of the remoteness of farms, sometimes the incidents would go unreported until the next time they saw the police.
“We want to encourage people to report things soon so they can be followed up.”
Two of the priorities for rural officers are crimes of dishonesty and the misuse of land, which can range from the scaring of livestock to illegal use of off-road vehicles.
However, the theft of farm machinery, diesel fuel and scrap metal remain constant problems.
As part of Rural Watch, police have teamed up with neighbouring police divisions, as well as Trading Standards and the Scottish Intelligence Database.
Officers are also holding quarterly meetings with farmers, landowners and other key figures in rural communities.
PC Bruce said that maintaining communication with as many people and external agencies as possible is crucial given the transient nature of criminals who target the countryside.
“It’s not only farm and landowners that are involved in the rural community, it is also people that visit for pleasure,” he added.
“They might be walking their dog and see something suspicious, such as a vehicle that they wouldn’t see regularly.
“Most people staying in rural communities are creatures of habit and people tend to know one another so when a strange vehicle comes into the area it is easily noticed.
“If that is reported we can disseminate that information to other forces throughout Scotland.
“A lot of these people would appear to be travelling criminals, not just in Fife but throughout Scotland.”