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Know How / Crime

News and advice on crime carried out on farms from sheep theft, to tractor, quad bike and other farm machinery theft, fly-tipping and hare coursing.  Get advice on farm security and rural crime prevention and hear from other farmers about how they keep their farm and property safe.

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FARM MAINTENANCE

Arlo Go 2 security camera sends footage to smartphones

Arlo’s new Go 2 security camera connects anywhere via wifi or 3G/4G phone data, giving farmers the option to monitor their farm security from their phone. The camera streams live…

CRIME

Fears raised over thieves using Google to scope out farms

Farmers are being advised to check their yards and buildings on Google Street View and request images are blurred if they think the mapping technology could give rural thieves an…

CRIME

Farm shops on alert after spate of 'highly organised' raids

Farm shop owners have been put on alert following a spate of “highly organised” raids on rural businesses in England and Wales. NFU Mutual has advised farm shop owners to…

ATVS AND UTVS

Tracker firm sends 'hunter' team to track down stolen farm kit

Farmers plagued by machinery theft now have the option of a dedicated "task force" to quickly track, secure and retrieve their stolen items. Agriculture is a lucrative industry for criminals,…

CRIME

Police set up spy cameras to snare rural criminals

Lincolnshire Police has launched a high-tech crackdown or rural crime using 20 spy cameras in secret locations across the county. The force is hoping to snare burglars, thieves, arsonists and…

CRIME

Six men charged after mass hare-coursing event in Bedford

Six men have been charged and pleaded guilty following a mass hare-coursing event that caused public outcry and “huge distress” last year, when dead hares were dangled from vehicle windows…

CRIME

Forensic marking among rural crime training for young farmers

Forensic property marking is part of new police training that will be offered to young farmers in Cumbria to hit back against rural criminals and keep the county’s farming communities…

CRIME

Welsh farmer denied return of stolen tractor

A farmer wants the police to take more action to recover his stolen tractor after he was alerted that a man who bought it was attempting to register it with…

Practical advice

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CRIME

Warning after spate of harvest GPS thefts in West Country

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) has issued advice on protecting high-tech farm equipment after a spate of thefts in the West Country this harvest. Thieves are increasingly targeting…

CRIME

10 tips for farm crime prevention as clocks go back

When winter is approaching and clocks go back an hour as British Summer Time officially ends, it is a good time for farmers to review their security. Farms in the…

CRIME

What to do if you’re a victim of… vegan activist incursions

Vegan activists have been targeting farms to stage protests and lead incursions, leaving farmers scared and intimidated. Abuse on social media can be hard enough to cope with, but dealing…

CRIME

What to do if you're a victim of... trespassing travellers

A government consultation on new powers proposed for the police could make it easier to deal with travellers who set up unauthorised encampments on farmland. Hundreds of vehicles are parked…

CRIME

What to do if you’re a victim of… hare coursing

Combating hare coursing has been made a priority by rural policing strategists in recent years, to tackle the crime that breaks a host of laws, including animal welfare, criminal damage,…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

Not all insurance fully covers flock theft, farmers warned

Livestock farmers have been warned to check their insurance fully covers herds and flocks as the darker winter months prompt a spike in rustling and illegal butchery. Many farmers opt…

Case studies

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CRIME

Video: Farm bunds fend off rural criminals

It’s a simple but effective crime prevention measure that doesn’t cost farmers the earth. For centuries, earth bunds were used to protect areas and keep unwanted visitors off land near…

CRIME

Video: Farms turned into fortresses to battle rural crime

Farmers from Ambion Contractors Ltd, near Sutton Cheney in Leicestershire, in the shadows of the Bosworth battlefield, are engaged in their own battle – the constant fight against rural crime.…

CRIME

How technology is helping farmers curb sheep thefts

Sheep theft cost the UK £2.4m last year, according to latest figures from NFU Mutual, with livestock one of the biggest targets after machinery, tools and vehicle thefts. Now, a…

ARABLE

Video: Trench-digging farmer curbs poachers

A farmer has dug trenches around his fields in a novel way to ward off poachers and stop joyriders damaging his crops. Rob Gardner says digging trenches around fields bordering…

Farmer builds a 7ft high metal barricade to deter crime

A farmer has built a 7ft high, metal barricade around his farm to deter joyriders - and he hopes to finish the job using crowd control fencing from the London…

Insights

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CRIME

Livestock rustling takes its toll on targeted farmers

Rustling is now such a threat to livestock farms that some victims are changing their farming practices to avoid further thefts. PC Sebastian Haggett, of Dorset Police’s Rural Crime Team,…

CRIME

Crime falls but farms still at risk from 'slicker' thieves

Rural crime rates have dropped to their lowest level in five years according to the latest figures from NFU Mutual, which estimates the cost of farm theft at just over…

CRIME

How the police want livestock worrying laws tightened

Tougher penalties for irresponsible pet owners who allow their out-of-control dogs to attack livestock are on target to be introduced in England and Wales later this year, say rural police.…

CRIME

Working farm dog thefts on the rise across the country

Working farm dogs have soared in value, with one 12-month old sheepdog recently fetching £28,000. But even the plainest pooches now command a hefty price tag, making them a soft…

CRIME

Rural crime: The mental and financial toll on farmers

In 2019, rural crime cost the UK £54.3m – a rise of nearly 9% from the previous year, with farmers bearing the brunt of the damage. But it is not…

CRIME

Why farmers want stronger action on hare coursing

Extreme weather and the coronavirus pandemic resulted in a challenging harvest for farmers across the country, who must now deal with the next threat – criminals taking advantage of bare…

CRIME

Rural crime costs reach highest level in 8 years

Rural crime rates have risen to their highest level for eight years according to the latest figures, which show that farm theft is costing the sector £54m annually. The cost…

CRIME

Northants sheep slaughter: The story behind the killing spree

It was a spate of attacks that terrorised farming communities in Northamptonshire. Under the cover of darkness, hundreds of sheep and lambs were slaughtered and butchered in fields. The sheep…

CRIME

Exclusive survey: What farmers say about rural crime

Farmers are experiencing a wide variety of crimes and they believe the government is not providing rural police forces with adequate resource to protect their livelihoods, according to a new…

CRIME

On patrol with the police in the fight against rural crime

It’s a drizzly mid-September morning as I travel to Buckinghamshire ahead of “Operation Agriculture”. The operation is a week-long crackdown on rural crime affecting farms and the countryside in the Aylesbury…

NEWS

Shocking extent of modern slavery in agriculture revealed

The shocking extent of labour exploitation and modern-day slavery in agriculture has been laid bare in a new report by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA). Drawing on its…

Video

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CRIME

Video: Two arrests after rural crime raids on farms

Two men have been arrested and thousands of pounds worth of stolen agricultural and plant machinery has been recovered after police carried out dawn raids in Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire. Officers…

CRIME

Video: How one farm has beefed up security after GPS theft

Hampshire young farmer Will Cheyney has ramped up security at his family farm since it was victim of a GPS theft in December 2019. Two John Deere StarFire 3000 receivers…

NEWS

Video: Farmer enlists geese to sound alarm over trespassers

A north Hampshire farmer is using geese to raise the alarm when unwanted visitors enter his farmyard. Tom Janaway said the birds’ piercing honks are an excellent way to alert…

CRIME

Video: Terrifying moment hare coursers tear across farm

A Suffolk young farmer has captured the terrifying moment hare coursers in two cars ripped through a field before speeding off down a country lane – narrowly missing onlookers. Katherine…