NFU rural crime warning as dark nights lengthen
As if Covid restrictions and Brexit worries were not sufficient, farmers have been alerted to an increased risk of rural crime as the days shorten and the dark nights lengthen
NFU Mutual, the UK’S leading rural insurer, warned yesterday that the dark winter nights with fewer people out and about after dark could lead to an increase in rural theft this winter.
With clocks going back an hour this coming weekend, the company has urged farmers to b e vigilant to avoid becoming victims of rural theft with criminals using the cover of darkness to steal from the countryside.
The warning comes as the cost of rural crime has risen to its highest level for eight years, with organised criminal gangs increasingly targeting high-value tractors, quad bikes and large numbers of livestock.
According to the Mutual, rural crime in the UK totalled £54m in the last calendar year and in the past two years, the cost of rural theft has peaked in the October to December quarter.
While some types of rural crime had fallen during the initial Covid-19 lockdown, t h e i n s u r a n c e c o mpa ny wa s n ow r e p o r t i n g t h a t
rural theft was now increasing in many parts of the UK with the economic impact of the pandemic biting.
Featuring highly in the latest crime figures are the theft of expensive tractor GPS systems, with many of the incidents being carried out in nighttime raids.
R e b e c c a D av i d s o n o f t h e NFU Mutual said, “The longer hours of darkness can present greater opportunities for criminal activity, particularly in remote rural areas which may not benefit from as much lighting, passing traffic or general footfall in the evenings as urban settings.
“While some t ypes of rural crime fell during the early part of lockdown we’ve seen alarming rises in smaller, more portable items of kit being stolen such as tractor GPS systems, w i t h t e n s o f t h o u s a n d s o f pounds worth of equipment being taken in a single night.
“The latest breed of criminal is using a range of tactics, often staking out farms by day to return late at night and smash into tractor cabs under the cover of darkness. The damage and disruption to agricultural activities is causing huge anxiety in the farming community and we are working with police and manufacturers to make it harder for criminals to steal from our farms and villages.”
T h e r e we r e a n u mb e r of measures that farmers could take to reduce the risk of theft according to Andy Manson who heads up the Mutual’s risk management company.
“We a dv i s e f a r mer s t o look at their farm through the eyes of a thief and start with the yard and entrance. Hinge-capped gates which can’t be lifted off and good quality chains and padlocks are the first step in securing the property.
“It’s particularly important at this time of year to ramp up detectable measures, this can be anything from intruder alarms and security lighting to CCTV, which is a fantastic deterrent.
“Address what you have on display in the yard and don’t give away any hints to would-be thieves of what might be inside.
"Also target-harden your valuable objects, this might involve creating a security cage for high-value items including tools and quads.”