West Sussex Rural Crime Surge

Rural crime in West Sussex is believed to have cost over £800,000 in 2019, as criminal gangs target farm machinery and livestock.

That's according to insurers NFU Mutual, which has calculated the annual increase in the county as 76% compared to 2018.

Particular concerns in the new 2020 "Rural Crime Report", published today (August 4) include:

• Thefts of large numbers of lambs are raising concerns that stock is being stolen for slaughter and processing outside regulated abattoirs before illegally entering the food chain
• Although rustling dropped at the start of the year, initial figures suggest nearly a national 15% increase in cost year on year in April as thieves targeted farms under lockdown
• Thieves are stealing expensive tractors costing over £50,000 for export to developed counties and small, older tractors to export to third world countries
• Land Rover Defenders remain highly desirable to thieves with many, insured by NFU Mutual, stolen in 2019 at a claims cost of £2.1m.

Across the UK, the insurer said, rural crime cost £54m in 2019, an increase of almost 9% on the previous year.

The rise is being driven by organised criminal gangs targeting high value tractors, quad bikes and large numbers of livestock.

While there have been some reductions in crime under lockdown, there are concerns that rural theft is set to escalate as the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic bites.         

Analysing the increase in livestock theft, the company believes well-organised gangs taking large numbers of sheep, which are thought to enter the food chain illegally, are driving the increase.

It said a spate of sheep being slaughtered and butchered in farmers' fields also contributed to the rise, and farmers continued to be affected by rustling during the pandemic - with initial figures suggesting an increase of nearly 15% year on year in April 2020. 

Theft of tractor global positioning systems (GPS) is a major concern as farms move to using precision technology to run field operations.

Typically costing £8,000 to £10,000, GPS equipment has become a highly-prized item on the shopping lists of rural thieves, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdown where smaller, high-value items appear to have been targeted to meet demand overseas.

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

"Rural crime is like a wave as organised criminality spreads through our villages, farms and rural towns, affecting everyone in the countryside.

"We continue to work hard to stem the tide and are warning rural communities and helping with prevention advice, as there are concerns for the months ahead as the economic impact of Coronavirus bites.

"As well as the financial cost, there's a serious effect on the mental well-being of people living in rural and often isolated areas.

There are fears that the impact will be felt harder this year as farmers have been working flat-out to feed the nation and many rural communities have been put under additional pressure by the challenges brought by COVID-19."

NFU Mutual added that its rural theft figures are used by police forces to help them understand rural crime on their patch and plan rural police responses.

It also provides support and expert advice to many local farm and rural watch schemes across the UK.