Blight on the countryside: farmers gather for rural crime prevention event

More than 50 Ayrshire farmers attended a crime prevention and safety event hosted by farmer Alan Kerr on Low Dallars Farm, at Hurlford, Kilmarnock last Friday.

The group heard about the local Rural Watch scheme; fire safety, how to reduce the risk of theft, GPS vehicle trackers, property marking kits, overhead cable theft, fly tipping and measures that can be undertaken to prevent break ins, including smoke generating alarms. The group also saw the CCTV system already installed by Mr Kerr.

The National Rural Crime Network (NRCN) reported that the “survey of over 17,000 people living and working in rural areas throughout England and Wales suggests the true cost of crime in rural areas could exceed £800m. This figure is 21 times higher than previous figures, dwarfing earlier estimates.

NFU senior planning and rural affairs adviser Suzanne Clear said: “We already know that our farming members suffer at the hands of rural crime, whether that is machinery and livestock theft to fly-tipping and from perpetrators using increasingly sophisticated methods.

“It is important that the NRCN uses its survey information to develop a robust plan of action to help reduce the impacts of rural crime on farm businesses and the wider community. Each crime, no matter how small or large, can have a potentially devastating effect on the victims. We also need an environment where our members feel they can report crimes and will be listened to rather than suffering in silence or for their reports to be swept aside.”

NFUS Regional Manager, and event organiser, Christine Cuthbertson said: Members who attended our Tackling Rural Crime Together event found the practical and interactive format of the day to ideal.

“Rural crime is a blight on the Scottish countryside that costs in excess of £2 million every year. Being vigilant and reporting suspicious activity and adopting some of the simple security precautions demonstrated at this event will make life more difficult for would be thieves.

“We were delighted to bring together experts from Police Scotland, NFU Mutual, Scottish Power, the Fire Prevention Unit and East Ayrshire Council along with several commercial companies demonstrating some excellent crime prevention products. All were very approachable and gave top notch practical, low cost tips for preventing thefts and crime on farms and rural areas.

Inspector John Cairns, of Police Scotland Ayrshire Division said: "We were delighted to see more than 50 representatives from the farming and rural community at the event, taking the opportunity to discuss how we can best work together in tackling crime.

Graham Campbell, SP Energy Networks District General Manager for Ayrshire and Clyde South, said: “We were pleased to be able to support NFU Scotland in delivering this event. It is so rewarding to have an opportunity to raise awareness amongst agricultural communities of the risks posed by metal theft and to get the chance to demonstrate the dangers associated with working near overhead lines.

“Metal theft is a particularly hot topic in Ayrshire, where around 30 thefts have been recorded this summer, the highest level across any of our network areas.

“The criminals show a complete disregard for local communities. They are all too aware that their actions can cause fires in nearby properties, extended power cuts and also increase risks for passers-by and our engineers. They also take huge risks with their own safety. One wrong move in the vicinity of 11,000 volts of electricity can be fatal.

“We are continuing to work closely with NFU Scotland and Police Scotland across our network areas, and would encourage residents to report any suspicious behaviour near power lines to our team on our emergency phone line, 0800 092 9290. The hotline is open 24-hours a day, and we are happy to pay up to £10,000 for information that leads to a conviction.”