As the holiday season approaches, now is a good time to take stock of your on-farm security measures and help curb rural crime.
Going on an extended holiday over Christmas, or even taking a mini-break away from the farm, should be a worry-free pleasure. Sadly, some farmers and their familiesarrive home only to find they've become the victims of crime.
It doesn't matter to thieves whether it's a chainsaw, fuel, your motorbike, or the orphaned lambs the kids have raised for pocket money -- if the opportunity is there, criminals will take it.
It is important that rural communities rally together and take precautions to make sure no-one is an easy target this holiday season.
The main thing is to be vigilant about any suspicious behaviour in your area, especially leading up to the holiday season. Alert your neighbours and call the police about any worrying or unusual activity -- if you can provide a licence plate, all the better.
Secondly, take steps to ensure your property is secure. Keep your buildings and vehicles locked and keys secured, lock gates that have entry from a public road if possible, use sensor lights, install yard alarms and place dogs near buildings or fuel tanks. All of these actions can be a deterrent to would-be thieves.
Farm buildings, including dairy sheds, farm implement sheds, garages, and chillers, are a popular target for thieves. Police figures indicate that around two-thirds of reported burglaries are from open sheds or insecure buildings.
If you are going to be away for an extended period, ask someone to house-sit. Otherwise, ask whoever is keeping an eye on your animals to pick up the mail for you and leave a light on.
For those wanting to take extra precautions, motion-sensitive cameras are available from most rural traders for a reasonable price and can be installed covertly to capture any suspicious activity in or around your sheds. Signs indicating the presence of these cameras on the outside of your property and buildings are also a good deterrent.
In the event that you do become a victim of theft -- report it to the police. This is singularly the most important thing to do following a crime. Even if the stolen goods cannot be recovered, it helps police identify if there's a pattern of crime developing in an area that may need further investigation, or that the rest of the community should be alerted to.
An important tool in the fight against rural crime is the 'Stop Stock Theft' mapping system.
Victims can report stock theft anonymously to help police build up intelligence on when and where the theft took place and what stock was taken. It sends a powerful message to casual and organised criminals that rural communities have had enough.
While it can be harder to ensure the safety and security of your home and business in rural areas, it is important to use the tools available and, in particular, to report theft and suspicious behaviour, so we can help make our rural communities safer.
