Fall In Rural Crime Costs Across Sussex: Covid Lockdown Believed Responsible

The cost of rural crime across all Sussex fell by about one-fifth during 2020, to a total of an estimated £1.13m.

However, rural insurer NFU Mutual, which produced the new figures, adds that other crimes, such as dog attacks on farm animals, have hugely increased as pet ownership and countryside visits went up.

The latest statistics show people in East Sussex's rural communities lost an estimated £490,000 last year, while the equivalent figure for West Sussex went down 21% to £640,000.

In its Rural Crime Report, published today (Tuesday 3 August), the company showed it estimated that rural theft cost the UK an estimated £43.3m in 2020, a fall of 20.3% on the previous year, making it the lowest annual cost recorded in five years.  

However, the insurer believes that, during the pandemic, "highly-organised" criminals switched to the theft of high-value farming Global Positioning Systems, quad bikes and ATVs as the UK cost of agricultural vehicle theft reported to NFU Mutual remained at over £9m.  

Other rural crimes, including dog attacks on livestock and fly-tipping rose sharply.

The value of sheep and cattle attacked by dogs in the UK shot up by 10% in 2020 to £1.3m in a year which saw a surge in pet ownership and countryside visits.

The insurer additionally claimed data showed the cost of attacks rose 50% in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year.  

Fly-tipping in fields, gateways and country lanes reached what NFU Mutual leaders called "epidemic proportions" as waste recycling centres restricted access, leaving farmers to deal with the clean-up and risks to their health and that of their livestock and the environment.  

Rebecca Davidson, Rural Affairs Specialist at NFU Mutual, said:

“Coronavirus restrictions, beefed-up security on farms and the new Sussex Police Rural Crime Team 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. 

“There’s no doubt that when we work together with police, farmers, communities and other rural organisations to tackle rural crime it can make a real difference.

"That’s why NFU Mutual is investing over £430,000 in carefully targeted rural security schemes across the UK this year.  

“We believe this is vital support because rural crime isn’t just about money to replace stolen tractors.

"It causes disruption, seriously affects farmers’ mental well-being and destroys the trust which enables rural communities to flourish. 

“We are urging the public, many of whom are using the countryside more, to support our farmers and rural communities by reporting suspicious sightings and crimes to the police.

"Our farmers have worked tirelessly throughout the pandemic keeping the nation fed and caring for the countryside.

"By working together we can stem the tide when the criminals become more active again.” 

The insurer claims it has invested over £850,000 to combat rural crime including a police UK-wide agricultural vehicle crime tracking and recovery unit.

The National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) co-ordinates farm machinery theft intelligence between NFU Mutual, police forces, Border Force and Interpol.