Lock it or lose it: some sage advice for farmers throughout New Zealand as rural crime continues to rise, seemingly on the back of tougher economic times for many in the community (hapori).
Rural insurer FMG statistics show rural claims for theft and burglary lodged with the company last year were at a five-year high. And those figures are likely to be just the tip of the iceberg.
Most in the sector will know of someone, if not themselves, who has been targeted by thieves.
Much of those thefts are considered minor – a chainsaw, some tools or a bit of fuel from the on-farm storage tank – and many are never logged with police or insurance companies.
Police have previously said that more than three-quarters of crime on farms goes unreported.
But the recent spike in thefts has concerned Federated Farmers enough for it to schedule another rural crime survey, in conjunction with police, in March and April, just two years after the last survey.
The survey was previously held every five years.
Federated Farmers’ dairy industry group chair, Richard McIntyre, says the crime increase is not unexpected when you consider the cost of living has risen significantly.
Farmers, he says, are considered soft targets because their security is often lax.
The day-to-day running of the farm takes precedence over ensuring sheds and homes are locked, farm equipment put away and keys removed from vehicles.
It is not just petty thefts that farmers are having to contend with.
McIntyre says some criminals treat farmers’ stock “like going to the supermarket or butchery”, regularly taking sheep or cattle from paddocks to replenish their freezers.
The crime increase has raised questions about the police’s commitment to rural communities. Are they doing enough?
The police, like many businesses and organisations, are under resourced and the reality is they simply cannot be everywhere.
But improved reporting of crime by those in the rural sector will go a long way towards helping police focus on the areas where their services can be best utilised.
Last year the police began trialling a Rural Lookout app in the North Canterbury districts of Waimakariri and Hurunui, which enables people to log suspicious activity quickly and easily using a smartphone or via a website.
It is designed to capture incidents that often go unreported.
The launch of the app is part of a two-year trial that aims to increase reporting and take a preventative approach to reducing rural crime.
The police say the first step is to increase reporting, then identify trends and determine what crime prevention measures could be used and where.
It is a great initiative but it will require buy-in from the those on the land, and at the end of the smartphones or computers, for it to be really effective.
Given the latest spike in crime, it is certainly worth a try.
