Some thoughts on rural crime
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- Recent publicity over livestock thefts particularly in Northamptonshire/Warwickshire - Richard Coles (ex Communards, BBC presenter) tweeted about it.
- NFU Mutual have just published a report,
- Harper Adams University has been carrying out research,
- a local farmer has suffered loss, and
- a conversation in a pub
One local farmer, a delightful hardworking family with bits and pieces of parcels of land that he rents as and where he can find them had a dozen sheep go missing earlier this year. Then more recently his Landrover was stolen off his drive. Very much a working vehicle and probably stolen to be stripped for spare parts what was particularly frustrating was it was spotted - and reported to the police as a vehicle in an unusual place- but it disappeared before any action could be taken.
The conversation in the pub was when I went out for a meal with friends, two being a farming couple, and part of the conversation was about an unrecognised car that had been seen on their drive and speculation about what it was there for.
The livestock thefts in Northamptonshire/Warwickshire that Richard Coles tweeted about continue. People have recently been arrested, but thefts have been continuing, with six lambs illegally butchered on 4th August and fifteen stolen on the 7th - and that's just what Northamptonshire Police's facebook page shows.
What I found bizarre was the twitter conversation following Richard Coles tweeting a request for people to be aware of the situation and report suspicious activities to the police. One tweeter said that she'd heard the same was happening in Wales and that those reponsible were, "farmers going to extreme lengths," "lacking in humanity and decency." When I asked her to justify her assertion that the criminals were farmers she said it was what she'd heard. When I pressed for real news not just passing on gossip she did (belatedly) delete the tweets.
Farmers, and this is what was in the Harper Adams research, are feeling threatened and vulnerable. Crime and fear of crime, the research shows, is adding to stress levels, sleepless nights and suspicion of strangers. That conversation in the pub was a small example of what Harper Adams research demonstrates.
So what can be done?
Farmers are, by and large, doing what they can (within the limited budgets they work with) to protect property. Advice is available from police and NFU Mutual. Many counties have "Farm Watch" - the farming equivalent of Neighbourhood Watch. CCTV cameras are a far more familiar sight in farmyards than used to be common. Trackers are fitted to expensive machinery. New technology brings opportunities and Northamptonshire police are innovating with drones.
But it's not possible to secure every piece of pasture and livestock out grazing. Before the extermination of wolves - the last wolf was allegedly killed in 1680 - farms were usually in villages and livestock was brought in every night for safety. That's not a practical suggestion now.
But along with technology there are a some things we can all take to improve the situation.
First, all of us - whether living in rural or urban- can recognise the stress that farmers are already under and avoid adding to it. Vilifying farmers - the victims of crime- as "lacking in humanity and decency" on the basis of hearsay is a particularly inappropriate response! But we need to be aware of the other pressures, poor returns, long hours, isolation... that I've already blogged about. It's worth again being aware of support from Farming Community Network , RABI and the like. It's important for villages to include farmers - often living out of the village and easy to ignore- in the life of the community.
Second, farmers understandably are suspicious of strangers and are concerned about who comes onto their land. But trying to keep people away is probably counter productive. Several years ago I knew of a church that was very concerned for its security. Because they had received a grant for repairs the public had to have access, but the church made it as difficult as possible. The door was locked with a notice saying where they key could be obtained. One visitor borrowed the key, returning it gratefully an hour later. As nobody went to the church it wasn't until several days later that it was discovered that the grateful visitor had removed the church valuables! A church with plenty of legitimate visitors who are confident to challenge or report unlawful behaviour is actually more secure than an unused fortress. I suspect the same is true of farms. Those of us who aren't farmers can realise that we're being a good neighbour by being interested in what's happening on farms. Can farmers discover that the unknown visitor is a twitcher or forager or whatever and an extra pair of eyes or ears to report anything suspicious? Stronger community, working with Neighbourhood Watch and Farmwatch... is good.
Third, farmers can be encouraged to report thefts, even if there is nothing practical that the police can or will do. The report on on domestic abuse in rural areas that I blogged about showed that rural domestic violence was under reported with the consequence that that dealing with it was underfunded. I suspect the same is true for rural crime more generally. It may be a pain in the proverbial to report something that you know the police will do little about, but not reporting it is likely to have an effect on how future police funding is allocated.
Of course stolen goods have to go somewhere, whether they're Landrover parts or lamb chops. So when we're buying things are we looking for a bargain or are we paying a fair price for something legitimate? When I was a child in Edinburgh my mother bought meat from a local butcher with a sign "Cuts from the best Scottish Farmers". The supply chain was short. The butcher knew what he was buying and where it came from. Our lengthy supply chains and online anonymity have degraded the relationship between producer and consumer. Restoring that would make an enormous difference.
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