Only a generation ago, rural theft rarely amounted to more than a set of spanners taken from a tractor toolbox or a lamb or two rustled from a flock. Today it has become an organised crime involving determined gangs who stake out expensive tractors for export across the globe, steal hundreds of sheep, and relentlessly target the quad bikes that
are a vital part of modern farming.
That’s according to a report on rural crime from the insurer NFU Mutual, which suggests that the countryside is ‘under siege’. Being watched or ‘staked out’ is described as the biggest concern for those living in the countryside.
The rise in rural crime has come about due to two main factors, according to the report. “Social and economic change has seen the number of farms fall and close-knit communities collapse. And modern transport links now enable thieves to steal farm machinery and move it into mainland Europe in a matter of hours.” Countryside criminals are becoming more brazen. Thieves are cloning the identities of large, expensive tractors; and small and older tractors are targets, for export. Since Land Rover ended production of its Defender, that typical farm vehicle has become an even bigger target, according to the insurance company. It says that in 2016 rural crime cost the UK £39.2m. Although that’s down a little (4.3pc) on the 2015 cost, initial figures for the first half of 2017 suggest the downward trend isn’t going to last.
For the report, visit the NFU Mutual website. The insurer also offers tips to avoid buying stolen farm vehicles.
