Waikato Times

Security cameras to deter rural crime

- Gerhard Uys

Security cameras and boom gates might be the next thing the farm needs as rural crime spikes, according to security technology firm Farmgate.

Mike Smith, partnershi­p manager at Farmgate, a company that installed access control systems for rural properties, said over the past two years, half of all farmers were victims of crime. Many of the crimes were committed using a stolen vehicle.

Farmgate used cameras that connect to the police stolen vehicle database.

If the cameras picked up a stolen vehicle they would notify police. Farmers would also be notified through an app, he said.

The cameras were connected to a boom gate on a farm that stayed open to allow authorised vehicles through, such as milk trucks, but would close if a stolen vehicle was detected.

Earlier this year Farmgate also installed hidden cameras as a trial in rural areas.

Insurance company Vero said it had paid out $2 million in claims for theft and burglary at rural properties since the beginning of this year.

Vero rural portfolios executive manager Sonya Whitney said rural claims were up 34% over the same time last year.

The number of claims for farm assets were also up 32% from last year, Whitney said.

Last year a Federated Farmers rural crime survey showed a 10% increase in crime from 2016.

More than 1200 farmers were surveyed about stolen property, and killed livestock, poaching, drugs and property damaged.

Some farmers reported five incidents in a single year, the survey found.

Of the farmers impacted by crime, 71.4% were targeted two or more times, and 17.5% five or more times.

This was a sharp increase from 2016 when only 21.9% were targeted two or more times, and only 3.5% five or more times, according to the survey.

Smaller farm equipment and fuel were the most common items stolen, and current and past farmworker­s were identified as suspects. There was also a trend of stealing farm gates.

Some farmers had large numbers of livestock stolen. Eleven respondent­s said they had more than 30 head of livestock stolen, and eight respondent­s had more than 80 head stolen.

Almost 200 farmers had deer poached, and there were almost 100 reports of game birds being poached.

Almost half had livestock stolen or killed. Sheep was the most common animal targeted, followed by beef cattle and farmed deer. Almost half had poaching incidents on the farm, the survey said.

Whitney said it was common for criminals to steal a farm vehicle, and return later to steal the replacemen­t.

A quarter of victims had motorbikes, quad bikes or other farm vehicles stolen last year.

Installing floodlight­ing around farm buildings could also help to deter crime, she said.

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