Menu

Know How / Crime

News and advice on crime carried out on farms from sheep theft, to tractor, quad bike and other farm machinery theft, fly-tipping and hare coursing.  Get advice on farm security and rural crime prevention and hear from other farmers about how they keep their farm and property safe.

Must reads

Latest crime news

See all

CRIME

New bill targets firms behind farmland fly-tipping

Proposals to hold large companies accountable for waste crime have been backed by farmers facing clean-up bills running into hundreds of thousands of pounds. A proposed new law aims to…

CRIME

Man arrested over alleged 650-sheep theft insurance fraud

A 24-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of fraud after an investigation into insurance claims involving the alleged theft of more than 650 sheep in Devon. The City of…

CRIME

Farmer demands action after dog attack kills 59 lambs

A Lancashire sheep farmer and slaughterhouse owner has written to the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police (GMP), Sir Stephen Watson, demanding his officers reopen an investigation into a serious…

CRIME

Police recover haul of stolen farm machinery

Police have recovered almost £700,000 worth of stolen property in Cambridgeshire in six months, as rural crime teams step up efforts to tackle theft and organised criminality. Between April and…

CRIME

Crime gangs exploit rural policing gaps, MPs told

Organised criminal gangs are exploiting gaps in rural policing, leaving farmers exposed to repeated theft, intimidation and violence, MPs have been warned. Giving evidence to the Home Affairs Committee on…

CRIME

Police step up crackdown on hare coursing gangs

Police are warning organised criminal gangs that farms will be heavily patrolled as the annual hare coursing season gathers pace across the countryside. Lincolnshire Police’s message to would-be poachers is…

NEWS

Dog stolen in livestock trailer from Hampshire farm

Farmers are being urged to remain vigilant after a seven-year-old Cocker Spaniel was stolen along with a livestock trailer from a farm in Hampshire. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary…

FLY-TIPPING

Farmer attacks fly-tip law after massive waste dump

An Essex farming family has condemned a system that makes private landowners responsible for clearing fly-tipped waste after criminals dumped about 2,000t of rubbish on their land. Alex Sell, a…

Practical advice

See all

LIVESTOCK

What to do if you have trespassers on your livestock farm

Videos made by animal rights activists and shared on social media pose reputational risks to agriculture, but the physical presence of activists on your farm adds another layer of complexity.…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

7 ways to beef up your farm’s cybersecurity

Farming is a critical part of national infrastructure, yet many farmers still underestimate the risk that cybercrime poses to their businesses. With farms becoming increasingly reliant on digital technology, from…

FARM MAINTENANCE

What to look for when buying a farmyard CCTV system

As the nights grow longer, darker and danker, so does the window of opportunity for unscrupulous ne’er-do-wells to pilfer from farmyards. Sadly, there’s no single answer to keeping undesirables out,…

CRIME

Video: Former SAS soldier on a mission to combat rural crime

Ex SAS soldier Mick Hawkes spent four years breaking into farm complexes under cover in Northern Ireland to combat the IRA. The covert operations mainly involved working against terrorism, looking…

BUSINESS CLINIC

Business Clinic: How does livestock theft cover work?

Whether you have a legal, tax, insurance, management or land issue, Farmers Weekly’s Business Clinic experts can help. Rory Gibson, regional director, A-plan Rural Insurance, outlines what to consider on…

CRIME

Sheep worrying advice for lambing time

As lambing season gets under way, a string of recent sheep worrying incidents have left farmers asking what they can do to try to protect their flocks when they are…

Case studies

See all

CRIME

Video: Farm bunds fend off rural criminals

It’s a simple but effective crime prevention measure that doesn’t cost farmers the earth. For centuries, earth bunds were used to protect areas and keep unwanted visitors off land near…

CRIME

Video: Farms turned into fortresses to battle rural crime

Farmers from Ambion Contractors Ltd, near Sutton Cheney in Leicestershire, in the shadows of the Bosworth battlefield, are engaged in their own battle – the constant fight against rural crime.…

CRIME

How technology is helping farmers curb sheep thefts

Sheep theft cost the UK £2.4m last year, according to latest figures from NFU Mutual, with livestock one of the biggest targets after machinery, tools and vehicle thefts. Now, a…

ARABLE

Video: Trench-digging farmer curbs poachers

A farmer has dug trenches around his fields in a novel way to ward off poachers and stop joyriders damaging his crops. Rob Gardner says digging trenches around fields bordering…

Farmer builds a 7ft high metal barricade to deter crime

A farmer has built a 7ft high, metal barricade around his farm to deter joyriders - and he hopes to finish the job using crowd control fencing from the London…

Insights

See all

CRIME

How animal activists are changing tactics to target farms

The nature of farm activism in Britain is undergoing significant change. Gone are the days when a broken lock, an open gate, or a group of demonstrators outside a farm…

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

How vulnerable is Britain’s food system to cyberattack?

When cybercriminals targeted Marks & Spencer earlier this year, the disruption quickly spread. Deliveries stalled, leaving some smaller suppliers struggling with production and cashflow, while products disappeared from shelves. It…

CRIME

Analysis: How theft gangs are exploiting rural buildings

A vacant farm building can provide a useful source of rental income. But crime experts are warning that empty barns and rural units can also attract a very different type…

CRIME

Analysis: Rural crime - down overall, but hotspots persist

First the good news – the cost of rural crime has fallen for the second year in a row. According to latest figures from rural insurer the NFU Mutual, that…

ARABLE

Advice on protecting farm kit and avoiding GPS thefts

The most recent figures from rural insurer NFU Mutual show an encouraging drop in insurance claims for stolen GPS units, which decreased 71% between 2023-24, from an estimated £4.2m to…

CRIME

Co-ordinated action sees drop in rural crime cost

While the scourge of rural crime still cost the industry an estimated £44.1m in 2024, across the UK that still represents a welcome fall of 17% from the previous year’s…

CRIME

Trespassers: What farmers can do to protect themselves

From errant walkers and fly-camping to longer term encroachment by travellers, the arrival of unwanted visitors can cause significant disruption to farming operations, and pose legal and financial challenges for…

CRIME

Analysis: How to protect yourself from fake seeds and pesticides

Digital analysts, on-ground track-and-trace teams and forensic testing might sound like something from a TV crime show, but some of the world’s biggest agchem manufacturers are having to turn detective…

CRIME

Rural crime more sophisticated than ever, report finds

With every new set of rural crime figures comes the hope of a shift downwards in the incidence and value of criminality in the UK countryside, but this year’s data…

CRIME

Video: Dorset farmers tackle deadly dog attacks

Livestock worrying poses a significant ongoing threat to farmers across the UK, but latest figures show the South West is the worst-affected region. Farm animals worth about £2.4m were severely…

CRIME

How successful is the National Rural Crime Unit one year on?

Headed up by Northumbria police superintendent Andy Huddleston, the National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) was formed, and continues to operate, against a backdrop of geopolitical unrest, a situation which has…

Video

See all

NEWS

10 hare coursers evade police in dramatic chase

A group of 10 men suspected of hare coursing evaded Cambridgeshire police in a dramatic car chase on Saturday (11 October). The men were travelling in a four-by-four vehicle, with…

CRIME

Video: CCTV captures GPS kit being stolen

Thieves stole four tractor domes and a GPS screen from a Leicestershire arable and poultry farmer. Will Oliver said two men took £25,000 worth of kit in the overnight raid…

NEWS

Vegan activists arrested over £80,000 damage at Muller site

Vegan activists protesting against the dairy industry have been criticised by the police after a group broke into a milk processing site and punctured 200 truck tyres, causing an estimated…

CRIME

Video: Brazen thieves caught on CCTV stealing farm equipment

One farming family has described the financial and psychological impact of being hit by theft, after thieves stole a farm truck and thousands of pounds of tools. The equipment and…