Rural thefts fell during lockdown - but farm GPS thefts rise

Latest figures from insurers NFU Mutual reveal rural theft claims dropped to £1.05m in the county last year, while neighbouring Suffolk recorded a drop of just 0.4pc to £1.44m - making it the fourth worst-affected county in the UK.

Analysts said the national figure of £43.3m, a drop of 20pc, was the lowest annual cost recorded in five years.

However, highly-organised criminals continued to target East Anglia’s farmyards, stealing smaller, high-value goods such as GPS satellite systems from tractors and combine harvesters. Claims for this type of equipment almost doubled across the UK to £2.9m, fuelled by demand across the globe.

Meanwhile, other rural crimes including dog attacks on livestock and fly-tipping rose sharply across the UK in 2020, says the report.

The value of sheep and cattle attacked by dogs increased by 10.2pc to £1.3m in a year which saw a surge in pet ownership and countryside visits. The situation continues to worsen as NFU Mutual claims data shows the cost of attacks rose 50pc year-on-year in the first quarter of 2021.

Patrick Verrell, senior agent at NFU Mutual’s Swaffham agency, said: “Coronavirus restrictions, beefed-up security on farms and effective rural policing provided a welcome fall in rural thefts last year.

“While lockdown may have locked some criminals out of the countryside – rural crime hasn’t gone away. Thieves are now returning armed with new tactics and targets.

"As the economic impact of the pandemic bites, we are very concerned that rural theft may escalate significantly."

John Newton, Norfolk county advisor for the National Farmers' Union (NFU), added: “Norfolk police have put additional resources into tackling rural crime over the past year and have worked closely with the NFU and other rural partners. We can only hope this fall is the start of a trend, rather than a blip due to lockdown.

“However, rural crime remains a serious concern for Norfolk farm businesses and we are seeing an increase in other crime, including fly-tipping.

"The NFU’s own rural crime survey, published in April, showed that 67pc of respondents from East Anglia had suffered from hare coursing and 62pc from fly-tipping over the previous year."

CASE STUDY: Jim Papworth

Norfolk farmer Jim Papworth, whose family's farming operation is based at Felmingham, near North Walsham (Image: Archant)

Thieves stole a global positioning system (GPS) from Jim Papworth's family's farming business the day before last summer's harvest was due to start.

The company's £450,000 Claas combine was parked up behind farm buildings when thieves broke into the cab and removed the unit from the dashboard.

Fortunately the manufacturer was able to replace the £11,000 guidance system within 24 hours, so only a day’s combining was lost.

However the theft from a combine that was hidden from prying eyes behind farm buildings - and the theft of a GPS system from a neighbour’s tractor the same night - brought home how vulnerable farms are to organised crime.

“It was clear that the thieves had done their homework and knew where the combine was parked,” said Mr Papworth, whose family's firm is based at Felmingham, near North Walsham.

“Over the last few years we’ve put in place more and more security measures to protect our farm machinery and tools, but it’s a constant battle to try and keep one step ahead of thieves who are very determined and quickly learn how to get round whatever we do.

“Nowadays we don’t leave machinery outside unless it’s impossible to get it back to locked farm buildings at night when possible.

“The constant threat of crime makes farming very difficult. We’re frightened to leave things out nowadays. We get fuel, tools, and batteries stolen if we do.“