Scotland’s farming industry has been put on red alert after the emergence of a new breed of “brazen and determined” thieves who are using brute force and technological knowhow to steal tractors and machinery.
The warning comes ahead of a Rural Crime event in Ayrshire next month at which farmers will be told that stolen farm equipment has become a form of currency for criminal gangs across the world.
Rural insurer NFU Mutual will advise the industry to ramp up security as demand for tractors, telehandlers and quads has soared in the wake of tough money laundering legislation.
The latest statisics show that a concerted effort by Scotland’s Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) has resulted in equipment thefts falling by almost 50% in the last three years. However, speaking ahead of the crime event, Robbie Wallace, of NFU Mutual’s Kilmarnock office, said there was no room for complacency.
He added: “Farm vehicle theft is big business for the organised gangs who are stealing expensive vehicles and farm equipment and either cloning it for sale here, or shipping it across the world.”
Collaboration between the insurers and the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) and the police has traced stolen tractors as far afield as Africa and the Far East. A Manitou telehandler and a John Deere tractor worth £96,000 were recently returned to Scotland after being seized in Lithuania.
The Tackling Rural Crime Together Back to Basics event will be held at Dumfries House, Cumnock, on October 5 and will include sessions on cybercrime, avoiding commonplace scams and what to do if you witness wildlife crime on your farm.
Event organiser Christine Cuthbertson, of NFU Scotland, said thieves and scammers were becoming increasingly devious when it comes to targeting farm and rural businesses.
She said: “A recent cybercrime incident in the region robbed one Ayrshire farmer of thousands and this incident must serve as a sharp reminder to all to be alert at all times.
“Whether it is your bank account, your property or your pick-up, the event at Dumfries House will offer back-to-basics guidance on how to protect what is yours.”
The SPARC chairman Chief Superintendent John McKenzie said close working with partner organisations such as the farmers union and insurers meant the police could respond to emerging trends and crime hotspots and target criminals operating in rural communities.
nnicolson@thecourier.co.uk
