Three suspected hare coursers arrested, dog and car seized after ending up in ditch
5th January 2024 Lincolnshire
‘Solar theft’ – why is it on the rise and how can farms protect themselves?
Just as with the construction and metals industries, agricultural sites – specifically farms – are gold mines for criminal gangs looking to make cash. They further battle with the fact that they are located in wide, open spaces, further removed from law enforcement.
The financial cost of crime to the agricultural industry was brought into sharp focus last year with NFU Mutual’s 2023 Rural Crime Report, estimating that £49.5 million worth of equipment was stolen and resold. That is up from £40.5 million the previous year.
Not only is the rate of theft rising, but they are also becoming ever more sophisticated. In June this year, a farmer who had £70 000 worth of high-tech equipment stolen believes a gang spied on his premises with a drone. He said the thieves, who were caught on CCTV, knew the machines' precise location and how to gain access.
