Rural crime demands more than traditional security, writes Joe Webb, co-owner and director at the security firm MS Webb, a sponsor of the Security Institute‘s Annual Conference 2026 on Thursday, October 15.
Farming has never been more visible. Programmes such as Amazon Primeโs Clarksonโs Farm, along with growing interest in food availability, climate change, and the price of food, have catapulted Britainโs agricultural industry into the spotlight. The greater visibility has increased the risk to farmers. Rural communities are particularly susceptible to crime, including machinery theft, livestock theft, vandalism of vacant buildings, fly-tipping, illegal encampments, trespassing, and even hare coursing, with the CLA (Country Land and Business Association) reporting that 54 per cent of respondents in a recent survey have received a threat of violence or any other form of threat or warning from illegal hare coursers.
Tech is too temptingย ย
Rural crime cost the UK an estimated ยฃ 41.5m in 2025, according to the NFU Mutualโs 2026 Rural Crime Report, and through growing exposure, criminal gangs have a better understanding of the valuable equipment kept on farmland and how itโs operated. While the headline figure fell 6pc year-on-year, the crimes that hit farm operations hardest are moving in the opposite direction. Quad bike and ATV theft rose 31pc, with livestock theft increasing by almost 30pc, to ยฃ4.5m (according to the National Rural Crime Network). The advances in automated farming technology featured significantly in the most recent series of Clarksonโs Farm, particularly as Clarkson invested in robotic equipment. Criminals are increasingly targeting these components for their value and ease of resale. This includes GPS-guided systems and onboard computer units that control navigation and operation.
Target for gangs
For example, combine harvesters are a particularly attractive target for gangs. The machinery is valuable and left in fields on operational days, and the removal of a single critical part can render the machinery completely inoperable. This leaves farmers unable to complete the harvest and su๏ฌering the financial repercussions. Fuel, livestock, and specialist machinery can also be sold quickly through online marketplaces or criminal networks, making them attractive and lucrative targets.
Drones as deterrents and detectors
The traditional security measures, including locks, alarms, and standalone CCTV, remain important. Still, with heightened threats, itโs clear that security on farms should be more rigorous, particularly when farms have scattered sites. To address the challenges of vast geographic areas and limited physical presence, MS Webb, a provider of enforcement, security, and property services, has made a decisive shift towards drone technology and specialist surveillance systems that feed into a broader rural security strategy. Drones, also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, can be deployed rapidly and, where the operator holds the appropriate CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) Operational Authorisation, can cover ground at a range no ground patrol can match. They o๏ฌer real-time intelligence-gathering capabilities, feeding images and data back to the user and police control rooms.
Technology
They also keep farmers protected from the threat of physical violence and verbal harassment, whilst enabling them to build evidence against criminals, with recorded footage used as evidence. The technology is particularly beneficial at night and in heavy terrain or wooded areas, often found in farming areas in Britain. Much like the police helicopter cameras, the thermal imaging on drones can detect criminal activity using heat sensors that measure body temperature, which is used to direct MS Webbโs canine handlers and, where appropriate, police response teams. Subject to the CAA authorisation that beyond-visual-line-of-sight operations require, drone users can schedule regular pre-programmed patrol routes with geofenced boundaries, making them capable of monitoring large estates with minimal human intervention. Itโs important to emphasise that drones are part of the larger picture when it comes to rural security, and additional technology complements the role of the drones. This includes rapid-deployment CCTV towers, particularly suitable for remote areas, smart sensors, and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), used to track vehicle movements along rural routes.
Combining tech with minds
Technology alone will not solve rural crime. Collaboration remains important, particularly among farmers, security providers, insurers, and law enforcement. MS Webb’s new rural crime partnership with Kent Police shares intelligence on emerging trends, generates ideas, and agrees on measures. It supports the fortnightly intelligence report the organisation produces, including o๏ฌender methods, vehicles of interest, hotspots, and the equipment being targeted, which is now shared directly with Kent Police and then circulated to the wider rural community. The partnershipโs long-term goal is to help farmers feel supported by law enforcement, given research by the National Rural Crime Network, identified a collapse in police-community relationships, with rural communities feeling that police do not take rural crime seriously. The repercussions of crimes donโt just stop with the farmers. Insurers are increasingly looking for evidence of risk management and mitigation from customers, but rather than investing solely to meet policy requirements, itโs important that the agriculture industry consider strategies that reduce risk, improve resilience, and provide peace of mind.
Rural crime has become a serious and sophisticated threat; it’s not petty theft. The same National Rural Crime Network research found that there are around 22 active organised gangs involved in rural crime in the UK, and o๏ฌences are by โprolific rural o๏ฌendersโ rather than opportunistic individuals. Because of this, protecting farming businesses from strategic criminals requires more than traditional measures. It calls for a unified approach combining advanced technology, security experts, local community organisations and law enforcement. Only then will we see the tide turn against professional criminal networks.
What should farmers be thinking about next?
The rural properties that are best protected will be the ones adopting innovative and automated technologies, maximising intelligence and prioritising a layered approach.
1. Undertake a risk assessment
Security requires a strategic approach, so before investing e๏ฌort and money in deterrents and management systems, work with a qualified security professional to undertake a threat-risk assessment, where theyโll advise on gaps in current measures and the best solutions.
2. Think beyond locks, gates and barriers
This should be one layer of a security strategy. For the organised gangs, physical barriers can be broken, so they need to be deterred and second-guess the risk vs. reward.
3. Get the basics right before anything else
Store machinery securely and out of sight, remove keys as a matter of routine, and fit immobilisers, trackers and forensic marking to your highest-value assets first. Don’t wait for the law to require the measures. The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 received Royal Assent three years ago but still awaits the secondary legislation needed to bring it into e๏ฌect. In October 2025, the Government confirmed that the regulations will cover only the forensic marking and database registration of new ATVs and removable GPS units. Once the legislation is in place, it applies only to new sales. Everything already in a farmerโs yard is their responsibility alone.
4. Get eyes everywhere
Itโs di๏ฌcult to monitor large farms, so consider rapid-deployment CCTV, thermal cameras, and, most importantly, drones to gain visibility into hard-to-reach areas.
5. Collaborate with other experts in your local network
Sharing intelligence between neighbouring properties, police, and security agencies can help to identify criminals sooner and improve prosecutions.
6. Donโt get complacent
As farming technology rapidly evolves, so does security. Review your measures annually to highlight vulnerabilities or areas of improvement.
Visit: www.mswebb.co.uk.ย
Photo by Mark Rowe: Wiltshire downs, August.
