Can technology reduce your risk of becoming a victim of rural crime?

Rural crime is underreported and there is often a ‘she’ll be right’ approach towards it.  

Farmers face unique challenges when it comes to securing their property, such as, reduced internet connectivity, terrain, distance, technology, and resources.

As much as the NSW Police Force tries to deter and target rural crime offenders, the police cannot do it all on their own.  There must be a joint approach from police and rural landowners, working together.

Members of the Rural Crime Prevention Team will be at the Henty Machinery Field Days and visitors can hear their tips and advice on the guest speaker panel at Agtech Alley. They can also be found on on site 1032 Block V. 

So, what can rural landowners do to increase their resilience against rural crime and make it harder for offenders?  

Lock it up - Lock the house when you are not there.  Lock the vehicle. Lock the shed. Lock the gate.  Lock the fuel tank.

Watch it - Install security camera and monitoring systems.  Have the images from the camera transmitted to a separate source so if the camera is taken the images are safe elsewhere.

Record it: Make sure your livestock management records are correct.  Keep all your machinery details safely stored. Take photos of your livestock and equipment. Try to have something unique to your property in the background as proof it is on your land. (This can help at court, if required).

Mark it: Engrave your tools, machinery and equipment with your licence number or something unique to you.  Make sure your livestock are tagged and have a National Livestock Identification Scheme (NLIS) device on them. Ensure you conduct NLIS PIC reconciliations on a regular basis.

There are various new technologies available to farmers to decrease the risk of criminals targeting their livelihood.  Some examples include:

GPS ear tags for your livestock.  This allows you to create a geofence around your property and if your livestock leave this boundary, you will be notified.

Muzzle identification.  An animal’s muzzle is like our fingerprint, it is unique. Capturing an image of the muzzle can assist police to identify your livestock.

Pressure pad at the front gate.  There is technology that can automatically take a photo of the vehicle entering your property.

CCTV and other cameras that overcome connectivity and coverage issues.

Rural crime offenders see rural landowners as vulnerable, easy targets and a low risk of them being caught.  Let’s change that.  We would like to encourage landowners to work with Police to increase the risk that the criminal will be targeted by the Rural Crime Prevention Team.

By Ann Brennan, Rural Crime Prevention Team, NSW Police Force