A farmer near Peterborough says rural crime makes her scared when working
The cost of this crime in Cambridgeshire was almost £2 million last year
Farmers near Peterborough say they're taking it upon themselves to try and tackle rural crime.
It comes as figures from NFU Mutual show the cost of rural crime in Cambridgeshire cost almost £2 million last year, down on the year before.
They're untraceable and they get away with it
This is down 8% from 2023 but still cost more than £1.9 million in 2024.
Judith Jacobs has been farming for 35 years. She said:
"I had 60 children out on the farm once, and then two hare coursing vehicles drove through the yard and nearly killed somebody and then left again."
"There's nothing we can do about it; their number plates are not registered, so they're untraceable, and they get away with it."
"Now, we try to work as a community to prevent and move people on that are committing a crime and police it ourselves in the best way as we can."
We try to work as a community to prevent it
NFU Mutual’s new report reveals that rural crime cost the UK an estimated £44.1m in 2024, down from £52.8m the previous year.
The total claims cost for agricultural vehicle thefts reported to the UK’s leading rural insurer fell 35% to an estimated £7m last year, with global positioning system (GPS) units experiencing the largest cost decline, down 71% to £1.2m following their spike in 2023.
Quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles remained top targets for thieves, despite falling 16% to an estimated £2.7m.
Given the distinct characteristics of farmland, especially in upland areas, these vehicles are essential for farmers to navigate their fields and complete tasks efficiently, making their theft particularly disruptive, especially during busy seasons.
Livestock theft also remained high in 2024 at an estimated cost of £3.4m across the UK.
These incidents not only have a devastating impact on farming businesses but are deeply upsetting for farmers and their families who are left worrying about the welfare of stolen livestock.