Rural crime on the rise in the North West

The North West is the only region in the UK to see a rise in the cost of rural theft over the pandemic, according to a new report.

Figures published in NFU Mutual's Rural Crime Report on Tuesday, August 3, show that it rose by 3.3% to an estimated £3.7 m in 2020.

Rural theft totalled £43.3m in the UK last year - a fall of 20.3%. The insurer is putting this down to Covid-19 restrictions paired with ramped-up farm security.

Credit: PA

But they say organised gangs are turning their focus to smaller, higher-value targets including farming GPS systems and expensive all-terrain vehicles.

Specialist farming GPS systems can cost around £10,000 and are an essential tool in modern farming.

Without it, harvests can be delayed, and some farmers left unable to work.

DC Chris Piggott from the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) said: “Rural thieves are becoming more and more sophisticated to get round high levels of security on modern farm machinery."

Rebecca Davidson from NFU Mutual says rural crime is big business for criminals:

Dog attacks on livestock and fly-tipping also rose sharply across the UK.  

The value of sheep and cattle attacked by dogs rose by 10.2% in 2020 to £1.3m

Fly-tipping in fields, gateways and country lanes has increased Credit: PA

Fly-tipping in fields, gateways and country lanes was reaching 'epidemic proportions' and leaving farmers to deal with the clean-up.

The NFU Mutual is encouraging members of the public to support the rural communities by reporting any suspicious sightings and crimes to the police.