Gangs target farms as cost of rural crime hits five-year high

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THE cost of rural crime has soared to more than £44million, with organised gangs stealing farm vehicles and equipment and even targeting country businesses during busy shift changes to cover their tracks.

A study will tomorrow reveal that the cost of crime in agricultural areas is now at its highest since 2013, with the Midlands one of the worst-hit regions.

Estimates from NFU Mutual, which insures more than 75 per cent of farms in the UK, will show the cost of thefts from rural homes, businesses and farms currently stands at £44.5million, an increase of 13.4 per cent and the highest year-on-year rise since 2010.

With police forces overstretched, rural residents and businesses are increasingly having to turn to social media in an attempt to combat crime.

Tim Price, rural affairs specialist at NFU Mutual, said: “With police facing huge challenges – including budget cuts and extra workload – forces are finding it hard to resource rural policing and this may be one of the reasons for the rise in thefts we are seeing.

“However, social media is fast becoming the new eyes and ears of the countryside, strengthening the community ties that help in the reporting and recording of crime and bringing thieves to justice.”

In one particularly brazen case, thieves tried to hot-wire a farmer’s pickup vehicle while he was working in fields and he had to chase them off. But within days, his 750-acre Staffordshire farm was targeted again, when thieves sawed the locks in half on an outbuilding in daylight to steal tools.

Matthew, a third generation farmer who preferred not to give his full name, said: “There are half a dozen farms in the area that are being targeted. We are near the Shropshire border and between police forces, so they know it takes them a while to respond.

“They even target farms to coincide with shift changes to make it even less likely that they will be caught. Over the years we must have reported more than 50 registration numbers and we all have CCTV that records vehicles and people, but it doesn’t seem to make any difference.”

His wife Jacqui said: “It is relentless. It’s crazy the lengths you have to go to try to keep the farm and everyone safe.”