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Dec 25, 2023

Security cameras and boom gates on farms as rural crime spikes

Security cameras and boom gates might be the next thing the farm needs as rural

Security cameras and boom gates might be the next thing the farm needs as rural crime spikes, according to security technology firm Farmgate.

Mike Smith, partnership manager at Farmgate, a company that installed access control systems for rural properties, said over the last two years half of all farmers were victims of crime.

As many farm crimes were committed with a stolen vehicle, Smith said. Farmgate used cameras on farms that connect to the police stolen vehicle database as the backbone of its technology.

If the cameras picked up a stolen vehicle they would notify police. Farmers would also be notified through an app, he said.

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The cameras were connected to a boom gate on a farm that stayed open to allow authorised vehicles through, such as milk trucks, but would close if a stolen vehicle was detected.

Earlier this year Farmgate also installed hidden cameras as a trail in rural areas.

Smith said crimes that might not seem signifcant had large repercussions on a farm. For instance, if a cow was stolen, or killed it would mean thousands of dollars lost over years for a farmer.

Insurance company Vero said it had paid out $2m in claims for theft and burglary at rural properties since the beginning of this year.

Vero rural portfolios executive manager Sonya Whitney said rural claims were up 34% over the same time last year.

The number of claims for farm assets, like machinery, tools and farm supplies, were also up 32% from last year, Whitney said.

"Rural properties can be vulnerable to crime due to their sometimes-isolated locations and boundaries," she said.

Last year a Federated Farmers rural crime survey report showed a 10% increase in crime from 2016.

Over 1200 farmers were surveyed about stolen property, and killed livestock, poaching, drugs and property damaged.

Some farmers reporting five incidents in a single year, the survey found.

Of the farmers impacted by crime, 71.4% were targeted two or more times, and 17.5% five or more times.

This was a sharp increase from 2016 when only 21.9% were targeted two or more times, and only 3.5% five or more times, according to the survey.

Smaller farm equipment and fuel were the most common items stolen, with current and past farmworkers identified as suspects.

There was also a trend of stealing farm gates.

Some farmers had large numbers of livestock stolen, with 11 respondents saying they had over 30 head of livestock stolen, and eight respondents having had over 80 head stolen.

Almost 200 farmers had deer poached, with almost 100 reports of game birds being poached, the survey said.

Almost half had livestock stolen or killed. Sheep was the most common animal targeted, followed by beef cattle and farmed deer. Almost half had poaching incidents on the farm, the report found.

It was a common for criminals to steal a farm vehicle, and return later to steal the new replacement, it said.

A quarter of victims had motorbikes, quad bikes or other farm vehicles stolen last year.

Whitney said the installation of floodlighting around farm buildings could also help to deter crime.