Rural crime difficult to swallow, Lincolnshire farmer says

Mr Russell said his farm was hit twice in two months in summer 2022

A farmer who lost equipment worth £60,000 in two thefts has said it has been "difficult to swallow".

Stuart Russell said a utility vehicle, four tractor GPS devices and various gadgets and tools were taken from his Lincolnshire farm in the 2022 thefts.

Figures from insurer NFU Mutual showed rural theft cost Lincolnshire £2.5m in 2022 and the county was repeatedly the worst affected in the UK.

Lincolnshire Police said tackling rural crime was one of its priorities.

The arable and poultry farmer said as he lived "in the farmyard" with his family and pets, it was "almost like breaking into your house".

"The thought that somebody comes on to your property and has no regard for stuff that you've paid for is difficult to swallow," he said.

He added that spending money on additional security measures, such as alarms and CCTV, was "frustrating", but had become "part and parcel of living in rural countryside".

'Significant results'

Phil Ingleby, from NFU Mutual in Spalding, said "highly-organised gangs" were targeting farmers.

"Rural theft is changing," he said.

"It is not only opportunist thieves travelling a few miles, we are now seeing internationally organised criminal activity.

"These gangs target high-value farm machinery and GPS kits because they can be sold all over the world."

Phil Ingleby, from NFU Mutual in Spalding, said "highly-organised gangs" were targeting farmers

A representative for the insurer said Lincolnshire remained top of the UK list of rural theft insurance claims and had seen a 5.5% increase from 2021 to 2022.

North Yorkshire was also among the worst affected areas, with insurance claim costs more than doubling from £920,428 in 2021 to £1.9m in 2022, while in West Yorkshire, costs rose by 54% to £1.4m in the same period.

Ch Insp Steve Williamson, of Lincolnshire Police, said the introduction of a Rural Crime Action Team had yielded "some significant results".

"Some of our successes have included a joint force operation with Nottinghamshire Police in which we charged six suspects as part of an investigation into a suspected rural theft and burglary conspiracy worth nearly £1m," he added.