Rural crime is increasing in the Top of the South, with a significant portion occurring through farm gate theft.
Historically, farm entrances have been vulnerable due to their open and unmonitored nature, making farms easy targets for unauthorised visitors.
Federated Farmers’ ‘Rural Crime’ survey from December 2023 revealed alarming trends: 67 per cent of over 1,000 surveyed farmers reported experiencing or suspecting crime, marking a 14.7 per cent increase from 2021 and a 26 per cent rise since 2016.
The occurrence of multiple criminal incidents also nearly doubled, with theft of quad bikes, livestock, and valuable equipment like chainsaws being common targets.
FMG highlighted quad bike thefts occurring primarily at night near residential or farm buildings, emphasising the importance of security lighting as a deterrent and where possible locking quads inside.
Despite the financial and emotional toll—estimated at $120 million annually for stock theft alone—much of this crime goes unreported to the police. FMG advises farmers to report theft of livestock, make valuable gear less attractive engraving it boldly, locking sheds and fuel tanks, and to maintain a detailed asset register including serial numbers or other identifying information.
To combat these challenges, many farms are adopting advanced security measures such as security cameras and the ‘Farmgate’ system, a German-engineered setup that includes vehicle license plate recognition and boom gates. The boom gates will open to allow authorised vehicles through, such as milk trucks and farm workers, but will close if a stolen vehicle is detected.
This technology allows farmers to monitor and control vehicle access remotely via an app. If an unknown vehicle is detected, the system alerts the farmer and if a stolen vehicle is detected, it alerts both the farmer and the police. The system can be run on mains, or a solar option and provides a proactive approach to protecting farm assets and enhancing security measures effectively.
To reduce rural crime on your property, you need to implement several measures such as those listed above, and embrace the advancing technologies available including vehicle recognition detection.
