Rural crime prevention is the best plan for family farms and large commercial farms. There are some small but very important things that small family farms can do to help security and recently some large commercial farms have made changes to improve security too. Below we list actions for both types of farms. Check this list to see what you have completed for your farm.
Family farms – what can you do?
Mark and secure property.List and photograph items.Put up and lock gates.Secure all doors and windows.Light up your home - external light sensors help visibility .Store keys safely - away from windows and letter boxes.Don’t leave ladders lying around the yard.A dog can be a great deterrent.Record details of valuables - don’t keep large cash amounts at home.Use your alarm - even when at home. CCTV is a great deterrent and would verify all visitors to the property.Valuable items - always mark your property.Keep travel plan information private. Do not post your trip details on Facebook, or other social media platforms.Post a notice saying that the premises are alarmed. External gates should have a notice saying that they are under observationDon’t entertain bogus traders or callers – they often seem like nice people but may carry out shoddy work or be preparing for callers that may come to the farm later.Tell the caller that you never employ people that are cold calling to your door. Ask for a sales brochure and tell them you’ll get back to them.Never engage a person who insists on cash payment for services offered – you need a trace. Never leave strangers, even bona fide workers, unsupervised in your home. If you think you have become a victim to this type of crime then ask your local garda station or IFA crime prevention office. Call 087 100 6515 or visit www.theftstop.ie
Large commercial farms – what can you do?
Introduce new security measures when dealing with visitors, employees and contractors.Introduce a system where visitors/technicians have to sign in and account for time spent on the farm. This allows for accountability and traceability. It also signals any unauthorised activity, abuse or misuse of information, property or stock. Consider requiring contractors to sign a service-level agreement that will define the service expected.Keep records of anybody who has keys, passcodes or other sensitive information. These codes or information should be changed throughout the year and visitors should have to ask for updates.Remember to mark your property with a unique security number that clearly identifies ownership of items. This will deter thieves and allow items to be returned in the event of their being recovered.The criminal offence of trespass is committed where a person wilfully trespasses on land and refuses to leave after a warning to leave is given. Sections 11 and 13 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 set out the offences.
If you see trespassors or someone committing an offence contact Gardai immediately.
In summary, it is an offence for a person, without lawful excuse, to trespass on any building or on the curtilage of the building in such manner as to cause, or is likely to cause fear in another person. So, in the event that a trespass occurs and you ask somebody to leave your land or premises, and they do not, then the offence is being committed. It is advisable when you suspect a person has entered your dwelling or lands to trespass or commit an offence to ask them to leave and perhaps indicate that you will call the Gardaí immediately.
Then there is the issue of taking the law into one’s own hands.
The law in relation to the defence of one’s home, changed by way of the Criminal Law (Defence and the dwelling) Act 2011. The legislature recognised that a person’s dwelling has a constitutional status and a person may use reasonable force to defend themselves from an intruder who was unlawfully in their dwelling to protect property or to make a lawful arrest.
If an accident occurs on farm what can you do?
All farm owners have an obligation to make the farm a safe place to work but accidents do happen and you need to ensure those working on the farm know where to go when something happens – even if it’s just for a phone number.
(a) Provide the necessary measures for first aid, firefighting and the evacuation of employees and any other individual present in the place of work, taking account of the nature of the work being carried out and the size of the place of work.(b) Arrange any necessary contacts with the appropriate emergency services, in particular with regard to first aid, emergency medical care, rescue work and fire fighting.In large commercial farms it may be necessary to: (i) designate employees who are required to implement health and safety plans, procedures and measures, and (ii) ensure that the number of those employees, their training and the equipment available to them are adequate, taking into account either or both the size of and specific hazards relating to the place of work.
Rural crime prevention is the best plan for family farms and large commercial farms. There are some small but very important things that small family farms can do to help security and recently some large commercial farms have made changes to improve security too. Below we list actions for both types of farms. Check this list to see what you have completed for your farm.
Family farms – what can you do?
Mark and secure property.List and photograph items.Put up and lock gates.Secure all doors and windows.Light up your home - external light sensors help visibility .Store keys safely - away from windows and letter boxes.Don’t leave ladders lying around the yard.A dog can be a great deterrent.Record details of valuables - don’t keep large cash amounts at home.Use your alarm - even when at home. CCTV is a great deterrent and would verify all visitors to the property.Valuable items - always mark your property.Keep travel plan information private. Do not post your trip details on Facebook, or other social media platforms.Post a notice saying that the premises are alarmed. External gates should have a notice saying that they are under observationDon’t entertain bogus traders or callers – they often seem like nice people but may carry out shoddy work or be preparing for callers that may come to the farm later.Tell the caller that you never employ people that are cold calling to your door. Ask for a sales brochure and tell them you’ll get back to them.Never engage a person who insists on cash payment for services offered – you need a trace. Never leave strangers, even bona fide workers, unsupervised in your home. If you think you have become a victim to this type of crime then ask your local garda station or IFA crime prevention office. Call 087 100 6515 or visit www.theftstop.ie
Large commercial farms – what can you do?
Introduce new security measures when dealing with visitors, employees and contractors.Introduce a system where visitors/technicians have to sign in and account for time spent on the farm. This allows for accountability and traceability. It also signals any unauthorised activity, abuse or misuse of information, property or stock. Consider requiring contractors to sign a service-level agreement that will define the service expected.Keep records of anybody who has keys, passcodes or other sensitive information. These codes or information should be changed throughout the year and visitors should have to ask for updates.Remember to mark your property with a unique security number that clearly identifies ownership of items. This will deter thieves and allow items to be returned in the event of their being recovered.The criminal offence of trespass is committed where a person wilfully trespasses on land and refuses to leave after a warning to leave is given. Sections 11 and 13 of the Criminal Justice (Public Order) Act 1994 set out the offences.
If you see trespassors or someone committing an offence contact Gardai immediately.
In summary, it is an offence for a person, without lawful excuse, to trespass on any building or on the curtilage of the building in such manner as to cause, or is likely to cause fear in another person. So, in the event that a trespass occurs and you ask somebody to leave your land or premises, and they do not, then the offence is being committed. It is advisable when you suspect a person has entered your dwelling or lands to trespass or commit an offence to ask them to leave and perhaps indicate that you will call the Gardaí immediately.
Then there is the issue of taking the law into one’s own hands.
The law in relation to the defence of one’s home, changed by way of the Criminal Law (Defence and the dwelling) Act 2011. The legislature recognised that a person’s dwelling has a constitutional status and a person may use reasonable force to defend themselves from an intruder who was unlawfully in their dwelling to protect property or to make a lawful arrest.
If an accident occurs on farm what can you do?
All farm owners have an obligation to make the farm a safe place to work but accidents do happen and you need to ensure those working on the farm know where to go when something happens – even if it’s just for a phone number.
(a) Provide the necessary measures for first aid, firefighting and the evacuation of employees and any other individual present in the place of work, taking account of the nature of the work being carried out and the size of the place of work.(b) Arrange any necessary contacts with the appropriate emergency services, in particular with regard to first aid, emergency medical care, rescue work and fire fighting.In large commercial farms it may be necessary to: (i) designate employees who are required to implement health and safety plans, procedures and measures, and (ii) ensure that the number of those employees, their training and the equipment available to them are adequate, taking into account either or both the size of and specific hazards relating to the place of work.
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