Police smart sensor initiative combating Welsh farm thefts

Welsh farmers are using wireless technology to combat farm thefts, as new figures show about one in five farmers were victims of crime in 2020.

Smart sensors, which operate through a low-power, long-range, wide area access network (LoRaWAN), can detect when a tractor or quad bike is being moved and data on these movements is logged on an app.

A farmer can track activity and, if movements are unauthorised, alert the police.

See also: Rural crime: The mental and financial toll on farmers

The initiative is part of Future Farms Cymru and is being jointly funded by the offices of North Wales police and crime commissioner Andy Dunbobbin and his counterpart in Dyfed Powys Police, Dafydd Llewelyn.

Six farms in north Wales are piloting the sensors, which relay data to mobile phones and other devices.

Mr Dunbobbin said the scheme will help improve security in farming communities.

“The Welsh government has invested heavily in LoRaWAN technology and it can be a solution to so many of our issues in the countryside,’’ he said.

The launch follows the publication in April of an NFU Cymru farmer survey which revealed that of those who had suffered crime, 52% were victims of theft, 16% experienced fly-tipping, and 29% trespass. Some 10% had been targeted more than once in the past year, and 24% said the financial loss to their business exceeded £1,000.

The survey showed farmers are increasingly using preventative measures to deter criminals and secure their machinery, tools and stock.

On-farm measures

More than half of the farmers questioned had upgraded security in their buildings and now routinely remove equipment from vehicles overnight.

Many had gone further by installing CCTV and blocking field entrances.

Almost one-third had invested at least £1,000 in crime-prevention measures in the past five years.

NFU Cymru president John Davies said it was “absolutely vital’’ that farmers report incidents and suspicious activity, no matter how seemingly insignificant.

“Our industry has a role to play in ensuring that police forces have an accurate picture of the level of rural crime in their patch,’’ he said.