Video: How one farm has beefed up security after GPS theft

Hampshire young farmer Will Cheyney has ramped up security at his family farm since it was victim of a GPS theft in December 2019.

Two John Deere StarFire 3000 receivers and one John Deere GreenStar 2630 screen were stolen, worth a total £14,000.

“We went to use the tractor and needed the GPS equipment to drive the sprayer, but it wasn’t until we got in it that we realised it wasn’t there. We were pretty stuffed,” Mr Cheyney recalled.

He said the John Deere equipment appears to be high on criminals’ hitlist and three of his farming neighbours have also been targeted.

“The thefts have been building up over the past couple of years and they are getting worse.”

Measures the farmer has taken include:

• Removing GPS kits and domes from all machinery overnight
• Locking tractors away in sheds
• Upgrading receivers to add pin code protection
• Installing CCTV cameras; and updating insurance policies to cover individual pieces of kit.  

See also: Rural crime falls but farms still at risk from ‘slicker’ thieves

Watch a video of how farmer Will Cheyney’s has beefed up his GPS security and read the rest of the report below.

Targeting farms

Criminal gangs are touring the countryside to target farms and steal high-value tractor global positioning systems (GPS) and machinery.

In some cases, thieves already know the layout of farms and are targeting victims for a second time.

Rural insurer NFU Mutual is advising farmers to be vigilant, increase security in farmyards, remove systems where possible overnight and return machinery to locked sheds or out of sight.

The combination of dark nights and poor weather with fewer people out and about allows criminals to move around farmyards and rural properties more easily without being noticed.

GPS theft has risen significantly in recent months. The rural insurer said its national cost of claims for GPS control units almost doubled in 2020 to £2.9m.

It warned determined gangs using new tactics could lead to even higher losses this year. 

“The roving gangs are stealing all makes and models of GPS control units, together with screens and domes,” said Rebecca Davidson, rural affairs specialist at NFU Mutual.

“The thieves have been taking advantage of the busy time in the farming calendar, spotting targets as farmers work flat out using tractors away from the farmstead.”

Shortages and rocketing rises in the cost of diesel, heating oil and fertiliser are also raising the risk of vital supplies becoming top targets for rural thieves this winter.

Robin Till of NFU Mutual said: “While thieves like the cover of darkness, they hate anything that will announce their arrival, so intruder alarms, security lighting and systems which send alerts and CCTV footage to mobile phones are good deterrents.

“We are also urging farmers to secure stocks of fertiliser and their diesel and heating oil tanks as prices soar.”

Global crime

Chris Piggott, who co-ordinates the agricultural vehicle crime unit of the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Police Service, said GPS theft is an international crime, with countries around the world experiencing thefts and attempts to sell stolen equipment back to the farming sector.

“High demand for GPS equipment is fuelling this type of crime and we are urging people to do careful checks on the sellers before purchasing second-hand items online,” added Det Con Piggott.

Farmers should report suspicious activity including drones over farms, unknown vehicles visiting, or trespassers, on 101, and if a crime is taking place call 999.