Sheep rustling, tractor and heating oil theft and even the attempted theft of a barn have all been reported over the past year. It was announced this week that one Welsh farmer is offering a £5,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of his 150 ewes and lambs, which were stolen over the summer from common land on the Black Mountain, Carmarthenshire. Those in the industry claim that crimes targeting farmers are on the rise. image expired

Figures from insurers NFU Mutual show that in 2010 the cost of rural crime rose by £49.7 million, a 17 per cent increase on the previous year. Machinery theft is the most lucrative for thieves; around £70 m of agricultural machinery is stolen in Britain each year. However, police officers have contested that incidences of rural crime are decreasing, though they warn that farmers should nevertheless take precautions.

In response to the perceived rise in crime, mostly thefts of animals and machinery, The Association of Chief Police Officers’ Rural Crime Seminar was set up to provide a place where police officers, farmers and rural stakeholders could share information and plan for the future in an effort to reduce rural crime.

Richard Crompton, Chief Constable of Lincolnshire Police and spokesperson for the Association of Chief Officers on Rural and Wildlife Crime, assured that successful measures have been used by rural forces to tackle organised crime. Officers claim organised gangs, which are constantly improving their tactics, are subject to police intelligence gathering. Police have also appealed for volunteers to help with opportunistic rural thefts.

Crompton explained policing tactics in dealing with farm theft, "We rely very much on information and intelligence to target the organised criminals who commit high value thefts. In relation to other sorts of theft and, sometimes, nuisance behaviour which can plague farmers and other rural residents, we rely on working with people as part of schemes including country watch, farm watch, rural watch."

He said increases in technology such as mobile communication which has led to easier sharing of information has helped the police respond to rural crime, which, he admitted, is isolated and difficult to pursue by its very nature.

The chief constable said the purpose of today’s seminar in Kettering was "Getting messages across to people: this happens." He elaborated that farmers need to be aware of rural crime and act pre-emptively to prevent it. Crompton said there are numerous things farmers can do themselves, including security marking agricultural machinery, to avoid falling victim to farm thefts.

Police are encouraging farmers to ensure anything of value is locked up, keys are never left in machinery and sufficient security measures, such as installing security lights, are taken on-farm to act as deterrents to would-be thieves.

Addressing the Rural Crime Seminar, Matthew Scott, Chief Claims Manager at NFU Mutual, said, "We strongly favour inter-force co-operation and collaboration with external parties like insurers and equipment manufacturers, and believe that this can be further strengthened." He said the insurers would increase its financial support for police units targeting rural crime from £92,000 to £190,000.