Police officers from five forces are combining in a bid to prevent rural crime. Officers from Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, and Thames Valley police forces are urging farmers and business to protect their property and report suspicious incidents. The forces have also produced a DVD on how to protect property and equipment Read the rest of this entry »
CCTV Footage of Cumbrian Farm Theft
Farm Machinery Thefts on the Increase
A Cumbrian judge handed out an unusually long prison sentence on Robert Mickle, who along with his accomplice, Christopher Steele, came especially from County Durham to a farm in Cumbria to steal a cattle truck.
On passing the 16-month prison sentence on Mickle, Judge Paul Batty QC said he hoped to deter other such criminals by giving a long sentence and vowed to do what he could to stop Cumbria farms being targeted by criminals out to steal expensive farm machinery.
On sentencing Mickle and Steele for the theft of a cattle lorry worth £6,000 the Judge said : Read the rest of this entry »
THE place to list stolen property. Add stolen items to this site as soon as you have reported the theft to the Police.
Fast action = better chance of recovery.
It’s Been NICKED ™ has two main purposes: Read the rest of this entry »
Farm theft
The theft of livestock, machinery and equipment has long since been the blight of farmers. But with farms often sprawled across vast, open areas, protecting against farm theft can be easier said than done.
At the time of writing, farm theft is significantly on the rise. Recent years have seen increases in the value of commodities such as oil and metal, and these rises appear to be driving the farm theft resurgence.
Animals too can be lucrative items, and just like a tractor or 4×4 left parked in a field, their portability makes them vulnerable.
To crack down on farm theft, consider implementing some of the following tactics: Read the rest of this entry »
Crime crackdown: Dorchester police officers team up with rural community
THE crackdown on rural crime continues as police officers team up with the rural community.
Dorchester police officers went out on patrol overnight to deter people from committing crimes in the rural community.
Officers were joined by game keepers and farmers who acted as spotters for suspicious vehicles in the area, as part of Operation Shogun.
Suspicious vehicles were stopped and searched.
The operation discovered one car full of people that had previous convictions to rural crimes.
Inspector Les Fry, Neighbourhood Inspector for Dorchester said the operation this month had been a success and was a strong deterrent to those thinking of committing crime.
He said: “Operation Shogun is a great example of the police and the rural community working together to prevent and deter those intent on committing crime in the rural areas.
via Crime crackdown: Dorchester police officers team up with rural community (From Dorset Echo).
Thieves beware: Englishman will defend farm with “chickenshit”
A retired showman, has come up with a novel way to deal with potential thieves: firing chickenshit at them from a 30-foot catapult. Local cops have said that they will prosecute Watson-Webb if he uses the catapult to defend his property against arsonists and robbers, but he says,”I’m not out to kill anyone or even hurt them. I just want to keep yobs off my land. … This is a serious issue. People all over Britain are sick and tired of feeling like prisoners in their own homes and seeing yobs get away with it.
via Thieves beware: Englishman will defend farm with “chickenshit” | bites.
McCormick Tractor Highlights Rural Equipment Theft
Farmers and representatives of rural organisations joined police officers from across the country at a national seminar – Closing the Gate on Criminality – to hear about the problem of rural crime and measures being taken to tackle it.
McCormick Crimestoppers
“The seminar covered many essential topics, including the use of new technology such as texting and social media to share vital information in the fight against rural crime,” says Dave Cording of Crimestoppers, the crime-fighting charity that hosted the event with ACPO, the Association of Chief Police Officers.
Once confined to local ‘rogues’, rural theft is now Read the rest of this entry »
Heating oil thefts ‘rise’ at rural homes
* Warning over heating oil thefts
Theft of heating oil from rural homes across the UK is becoming an increasing problem, an insurer has warned.
NFU Mutual says it saw a 153% rise in claim costs in the first half of 2011, with almost £250,000 of oil stolen.
The firm said homes with no access to a mains gas supply have no choice but to struggle with rising oil prices, which makes them a target for thieves.
It suggests Read the rest of this entry »
Co-operation needed’ as farm crime increases
Faced with a double digit increase in rural crime, the UK’s largest rural insurance company has called for closer co-operation between insurers and the police.
According to the NFU Mutual which has 70 per cent of the rural insurance market, the cost of theft from UK farms rose to £49.7 million in 2010; an increase of 17 per cent on the previous year. Tractor thefts remain a major problem with a significant increase in the number of tractors being stolen Read the rest of this entry »