‘Farmers are having to turn their farmyards into fortresses’

Rural crime cost Scotland £1.6m in 2016, according to the NFU Mutual rural report released this week, representing a fall of 32% on 2015 figures.

“Although the figures for rural crime in Scotland are down significantly, countryside criminals continue to become more brazen and farmers are now having to continually increase security and adopt new ways of protecting their equipment,” said Martin Malone, NFU Mutual regional manager for Scotland.

“In some parts of Scotland, farmers are having to turn their farmyards into fortresses to protect themselves from repeated thieves who are targeting quads, tractors and power tools. They are using tracking devices on tractors, video and infra-red surveillance in their farmyards and even DNA-markers to protect sheep from rustlers.”

Lanarkshire, including both north and south, was the most affected area in Scotland (Table 1). Between Lanarkshire, Aberdeenshire and Midlothian, the top three worst areas in Scotland, rural crime cost £570,000 in 2016.

Malone attributed the reduction in rural crime in part to the formation of The Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) in 2015. It was created in response to rising levels of tractor and quad thefts.

Statistics show that in the two years since SPARC was launched, the cost of tractor theft has fallen by 40% and quad thefts reduced by half.

“While we welcome NFU Mutual’s report, it is important that we do not get complacent,” said the national rural crime co-ordinator at Police Scotland, Inspector Jane Donaldson.

“SPARC’s current priority is to reduce theft of farm vehicles, fuel, tools and equipment, and to reduce the theft and worrying of livestock,” Donaldson said.

Trends highlighted by the NFU Mutual report show that being ‘‘staked out’’ is the biggest concern for people living in the countryside.

Overall rural crime cost the UK £39.2m in 2016, 4.3% less than 2015. The worst hit region was northeast England, where it cost £7.3m. Keeping communities informed about crime and other threats in their areas can help prevent crime, Donaldson added.

She recommends that farmers should sign up to receive local alerts from Rural Watch Scotland. To do so click the green ‘‘join’’ button on the Rural Watch website www.ruralwatchscotland.co.uk.