Rural Crime

Farmers are being urged to boost security as fuel and machinery prices rise.

Tougher sentencing and improved powers to tackle hare coursing have come into force today (1st August).

Criminal gangs could take advantage of the busy harvest period to steal expensive Global Positioning Systems (GPS) from tractors and combines, warns NFU Mutual.

A new report from Defra shows a distinct rise in the number, and cost, of fly-tipping incidents on public land in the past year. The figures also show a decline in perpetrators being punished, with rural groups responding that the figures only show a small fraction of the actual crime.

Farmers are being urged to review security as the long dark evenings draw in, as criminals will use the cover of darkness to target rural areas.

Farmers are being urged to be vigilant and strengthen security in case recent fuel shortages draw thieves to the countryside.

The Gladis campaign hails success as new government Bill clamps down on livestock worrying.

Hertfordshire farmer Eveey Hunter this week suffered significant damage to three vehicles as thieves targeted GPS equipment and tractor terminals/screens – and according to her machinery dealer, she was far from the only one.

Farmers and the wider public are being urged to remain vigilant as credit card scams have been circulating in Pembrokeshire.

Charity’s appeal follows new NFU Mutual report revealing highly organised criminals have been plaguing rural areas during the pandemic.

Fly-tipping causes huge damage and stress for farmers, but currently has few disincentives for anyone caught. As cases continue to rise, calls for harsher penalties have now come from a major collective of local authorities and professional bodies

While the overall cost of rural theft fell by 20 per cent in 2020 as Covid-19 kept thieves out of the countryside, other rural crimes rose sharply, and NFU Mutual is warning that organised criminals are returning with new tactics.