Farmers urged to take a stand against rural crime

Working in conjunction with WFI Insurance, NSW Farmers will host Rural Crime Workshops with guest speakers from the NSW Police Rural Crime Prevention Team, who will share security tips and listen to issues from locals.

Statistics from a farmer survey undertaken in 2020 by the Centre for Rural Criminology at the University of New England (UNE), show more than 80 per cent of NSW farmers feel victimised by crime, with 79 per cent saying they have reported at least one farm crime to the police in their lifetime.

Centre co-director and UNE senior lecturer in criminology, Dr Kyle Mulrooney, said the most common forms of victimisation farmers experienced were trespass, illegal shooting and hunting, the theft of livestock, break and enter and the theft of equipment and tools.

He said farmers believed crime in NSW had risen substantially in the past two years.

"Farmers tend to classify crime in their local area as serious and indicate high levels of worry about crime in general," Dr Mulrooney said.

While farmers were reluctant to report crime, primarily due to perceptions of barriers to reporting crime in rural areas and police capacity, Dr Mulrooney said they would, however, often report crime informally to friends, neighbours and their communities.

With large properties and few people around, Dr Mulrooney said farms without proper protections were at risk of being targeted by criminals, however, with a few security measures, such as locked trucks and sheds, secure loads and permanent marking by engraving on equipment, farmers and landholders could make it difficult for criminals to avoid arrest.

Dr Mulrooney said most farmers felt a personal responsibility to prevent farm crime, with many indicating in the Centre for Rural Criminology survey they actively employ specific measures to do so.

"They note costs, difficulty of implementation and a lack of knowledge around what works, appears to discourage farmers from implementing crime prevention measures," he said.

The NSW Farmers/WFI Insurance Rural Crime Workshops will be held across the state through September and October.

NSW Farmers regional service manager Mick Collins, Warialda, said rural crime costs landholders and businesses millions of dollars every year, through losses to criminals and through increased insurance costs.

"We're joining forces with our police to get the community's help to identify people involved in rural crime and to encourage reporting, and your active participation is crucial in creating a secure and thriving environment for all of us," Mr Collins said.

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"While it is not possible to make a rural property totally secure, we can make criminals think twice about targeting a farm.

"Some of the strategies shared by police are common-sense, many of them are easy, and all of them make it harder for crooks to get away with crime.

"Together, we can address the challenges we face and work towards effective solutions to reduce criminal activity in our area."

Mr Collins encouraged people attending the Rural Crime Workshops to bring their friends, family members, and neighbours along who might also be interested in joining this important conversation.

"The workshops will provide a platform for us to learn from each other, share experiences, and explore innovative ways to tackle the challenges related to criminal activity in our rural community," he said.

Mr Collins said the workshops provided a unique opportunity to "have your voice heard" and contribute to meaningful solutions.

"Please don't miss out on this chance to make a positive impact," he said.

A Rural Crime Workshop will be held at West Leagues Club in Tamworth from 6pm on Tuesday, October 24.

Workshops will also be held at: Walgett on September 20, Moree on September 26 and, Tenterfield on October 11.

Registrations are essential. Please visit Rural Crime Workshops to secure your place.

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