Farmer ‘totally gutted’ by bike theft
Stressed-out farmers are fed up with brazen thieves targeting rural properties to steal valuable gear and warn some may take matters into their own hands.
A rise in thefts of equipment from farms around the Waikato and Bay of Plenty has left some farmers feeling like prisoners on their own property.
On Friday, as day broke in Huntly, sharemilker Philip Thomas had his four-wheeler bike stolen, just metres from where he was milking cows in his herringbone shed.
‘‘It took a minute to sink in, I just couldn’t believe it,’’ he said, still in disbelief about the theft as he stood outside his milking shed on Saturday.
‘‘It just totally gutted me, I had to ring my wife to call police, I didn’t have any other vehicle here to give chase, I just had to stand here and watch them ride off.’’
He recalled hearing the engine of a bike before he stepped outside to see his four wheeler being driven away.
The pair, described as local youngsters, had come up the farm’s private driveway from Rotowaro Rd just on 6am and took off with Thomas’ quad bike, parked less than five metres from where he was milking.
‘‘I had the cows in and cups on, I had to go back, it makes you feel dizzy and sick.’’
‘‘I was targeted, they were waiting for me to milk.’’
There was no vehicle, or time, to give chase, said Thomas. He commended the actions of Ohaupo farmer Arnold Reekers, who chased down two would-be burglars attempting to hotwire his quad bike, in his underwear just days earlier.
‘‘It isn’t just a motorbike, it is our work-horse, it has all my tools, my calving gear, I rely on that and that is my workhorse. It makes you feel like you have been kicked in the guts.’’
Thomas, who grew up in Huntly, said farm thefts around the area, and wider Waikato, were getting worse.
‘‘The police know who they are, and there just doesn’t seem to be anything being done about. These guys knew exactly where to take my bike, they drove it around the lake and into the back of Huntly.’’
‘‘They are getting away with it, there seems to be a lot of it going on, there is a market for it and probably goes down the ladder to support their habits.’’
With a low dairy payout and hard winter, this could be enough to push some farmers over the edge, he said.
‘‘Farmers are already doing 13 hour days, easy. We have calving, weather to contend with, feeding out, we have enough stress in our lives, we don’t need to be attending to this.
‘‘I have good family support, but there are depressed farmers out there, and if they did it to the wrong person ... it may tip a farmer over, because it guts you.’’
He warned some farmers were so fed up, they were looking to take action.
‘‘It is going to get ugly. It is going to get to the stage where it is everyone for themselves.
‘‘It brings out the worst in everyone, there are some guys out there saying ‘we don’t need to tolerate this’.’’
Waikato Federated Farmers president Chris Lewis said members had reported break-ins and theft of stock, especially sheep, in recent weeks.
‘‘It seems to go in seasons as the days get lighter there is more activity.’’
Many farmers felt it was up to them to take action as they couldn’t rely on police, he said.
‘‘A lot of farmers have complained about the police not taking action. They need to step up, bring back rural policing, a specialist unit to look at this, you can’t really trust police to be at your property in 45 minutes, you have to take other options to stop the people.’’
Police were unable to be reached for comment on Saturday.
Thefts weren’t just limited to equipment, in Te Awamutu eleven cross-bred calves were stolen from Old Mountain Rd in Karamu.
Police said the offenders gained access through the front gate of the fully fenced farm, running parallel to the roadside. The thefts occurred sometime between August 27 and September 9.
Lewis urged farmers to remain vigilant, install security cameras and keep their eyes open for any unusual or suspect activity.
Police had put out an appeal for the $7000-$8000 quad bike, asking for anyone with information to contact Hamilton police on 07 858 6200. Information could also be left anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.