Thieves are travelling further afield

Vehicle theft alone, running at 30,000 vehicles in 1997, cost �73m.

As security in urban areas has improved, there is evidence that CCTV systems and a more high profile police presence are driving thieves into the relatively unguarded countryside.

The closure of police sub-stations and a fall, in recent years, in the number of front-line officers has compounded the fear of crime for many rural residents.

'Police not an option'

Tim Price, of NFU Mutual, says nobody would condone vigilantism but he understands the genuine concern of farmers and the view, of some, that the police can no longer be relied on for protection.

In the area of Norfolk where Tony Martin lives, there is a certain amount of sympathy for his predicament.

David Barnard, a parish councillor at Upwell, said: "For many isolated farmers, calling the police is not an option. You've got to fend for yourself and hope that your security is good enough. But if it's not, then what?"

Roger Western, a neighbour of Tony Martin, is even more blunt.

Many fellow farmers back Tony Martin

"I don't see that you can call what he did 'murder'. He was a chap defending his own life. If I had had a gun, in a similar situation, I would have shot the intruders."

Statistically, the fears are not unfounded.

Home Office figures show the county has 179 police officers per 100,000 of the population - a lower proportion than many forces in the country.

In the financial year up to 1999, the force received an increase of 3.1% to its �80m budget; elsewhere, the average rise was 4.7%.

While the situation in Norfolk has fallen under the spotlight, rural areas elsewhere in country have been blighted by a shortfall in policing.

Only one in four rural police stations is open round the clock while more than two thirds of villages are without a full-time police officer.

Most 999 calls are routed to nearby towns to be dealt with by officers who may be unfamiliar with the area of the call's origin.

Norfolk police figures

1426 officers serve 783,000 people Police cover 2,068 square miles 75,125 emergency calls last year 72.9 crimes per 1,000 people 11.3 burglaries per 1,000 homes

The Home Office has made several recent pledges to improve the situation.

Earlier this year it unveiled plans to establish a network of "countryside constables" - part time officers who would be held on a retainer to provide a neighbourhood watch service.

In the wake of Fred Barras's death, Norfolk has been offered funding for a further 66 police officers.

However, though police officials in the county believe that there is room for further improvement, they acknowledge their situation is far from unique.

A spokesman told BBC News Online: "In an ideal world we would love to have more officers and more money. But this is a situation that is not uncommon in other forces across the country."