Cost of rural theft on Staffordshire and Cheshire farmers rises
New figures show farm crime in Cheshire is up by a third
The cost of rural theft on farmers across Staffordshire and Cheshire has been revealed, with claims criminals are more sophisticated and savvy because of the pandemic.
In its Rural Crime Report, published today (Tuesday 3 August), it reveals that Cheshire's countryside crime rose by 27% to an estimated £855,000 in 2020, with the North West the only region in the entire country where the cost of rural crime rose (+3% to £3.7m) over the pandemic.
In the South East, the cost was down 19% to £7.1m with the North East also seeing its rural theft bill drop by 10% to £7.8m.
Meanwhile, the cost of rural theft in Staffordshire rose slightly (0.3%) to an estimated £994,000 in 2020.
It was the only Midlands county to see a rise, as the region as a whole saw its rural theft costs fall by 25% to an estimated £7.9m.
Across the whole of the UK, the cost of rural theft in 2020 totalled £43.3m, a fall of 20.3% on the previous year, making it the lowest annual cost recorded in five years.
Thieves targeting farms and countryside in Staffordshire and Cheshire got more ‘bang for their buck’ as they turned their focus onto smaller, high-value targets over the pandemic including farming Global Positioning Systems (GPS).
Without GPS – an essential part of modern farming – harvests can be delayed, and some farmers left unable to work.
NFU Mutual saw the UK-wide cost of claims for GPS almost double last year to £2.9m, as demand across the globe fuelled the crime wave.
Other rural crimes, including dog attacks on livestock and fly-tipping rose sharply across the UK. The situation continues to worsen as data shows the cost of attacks rose 50% in the first quarter of 2021 compared to the same period last year.
Criminals "smarter" than before the pandemic
There's growing concern that criminals are more sophisticated and connected than they were before the start of the pandemic.
Kay Henderson, rural insurance specialist at NFU Mutual, said: "It's still plaguing the countryside, particularly stealing more lighter, portable items like GPS systems.
"With quieter roads, the bigger thefts like tractor thefts, have been much harder. That's particularly a change in tactic that we've been seeing.
"We've seen more international-linked crime as well. We recover vehicles from as far afield as Poland and Lithuania.
"Criminals are becoming more sophisticated and more organised by the year."
Impact on farmers
We've been told the crime also has a huge impact on farmers, not only in terms of cost, but that some are "living in fear" that they're being watched by criminals.
Kay Henderson added: "We've got farmers unable to carry out their work because an essential piece of kit's been taken, so that stays out of their working lives.
"Families feel unsafe in their own homes, because they're used to this idea of being staked out and watched by criminals."
NFU Mutual estimates that rural theft cost the UK £43.3m in 2020, but the average cost per incident was £4,425, up from £4,128 in 2019.