Stolen livestock, firearms, equipment and tools are in the spotlight as a new campaign aimed at increasing reported farm crime launches state-wide.
Kicked off earlier this month by Crime Stoppers and Victoria Police, Putting a Spotlight on Farm Crime aims to increase farm crime reporting in Victoria after farm related crime rose over the past 12 months.
According to the Crime Statistics Agency, livestock theft across the state rose by two percent in the past year, costing communities around $2 million.
Despite the significant losses, underreporting of farm crime remains a widespread problem according to Crime Stoppers Victoria and chief executive Stella Smith said farm thefts are involving increasingly sophisticated technology.
“We’re seeing offenders use drones and satellite imagery to spy on rural properties,” she said.
“It doesn’t matter if you live in a remote area, with technology criminals can easily find a way to steal from you.”
Central Goldfields Crime Investigation Unit Detective Sergeant Roland Kurzke said farm crime does occur in the local area, particularly with livestock and equipment theft.
“It’s not much of a problem but we do have farm crime reported to us,” he said.
“It can be a combination of both equipment and livestock being stolen, particularly at farms that aren’t occupied or use leased paddocks and because they’re not occupied all the time, sometimes we don’t get a report until a month afterwards.
“That’s why we try and encourage farmers to regularly check their sheds and their stock — if we don’t know about it, we can’t investigate it and that’s why we encourage everyone to report suspicious activity as well as any thefts.”
As part of addressing farm crime, Victoria Police have dedicated farm crime liaison officers working in regional and rural areas, including locally, and Det Sgt Kurzke said those officers play an important role in the community.
“We have a member here who is our farm crime liaison officer and they regularly liaise with local farmers,” he said.
“That officer oversees farm crime and livestock theft and investigates when required, provides advice and guidance to other police members and establishes and maintains relationships with farming communities.”
To help boost security on rural properties, Crime Stoppers Victoria in conjunction with Victoria Police has produced new farm gate signs, available to order for free through the Crime Stoppers website.
Rural property owners are also encouraged to download the farm security checklist and Det Sgt Kurzke said there are a number of proactive steps residents can take to protect their property.
“The prevention tips we give to a lot of farmers are that they clearly mark their equipment and machinery and report any suspicious activity they see,” he said.
“We do advise farmers to install security cameras on their farms which can be a deterrent and assist investigations if there is a crime, certainly in the past we’ve been able to apprehend offenders and take them to court using that technology.
“It’s important all the rural farming neighbours keep an eye out for each other, make sure all firearms are securely stored and keep an inventory of your equipment. Don’t leave keys in vehicles either.”
