Frew calls for Rural Theft Task Force

Mr Frew, who is also Chairman of the Stormont Agriculture and Rural Development Committee, said: “Rural theft not only causes fear amongst many people living in rural areas but it also places a huge cost on many farmers who have lost expensive machinery to thieves operating in these isolated areas.

“There must be a strong and targeted police action behind this to target and apprehend the criminals involved in many of these well organised operations.

“There are some areas of Northern Ireland which have experienced quite a number of thefts with items such as quads, trailers and tractors seeming to be particularly targeted. The loss of a tractor not only places a financial burden onto the farm business but is highly disruptive to ongoing work as it will be used every day,” said Mr Frew.

He added: “My own constituency of North Antrim has not been unaffected by these kind of thefts, with most recently a spate of livestock thefts, and I have been involved in local campaigns to tackle the threat posed by these criminals.

“Police in the North Antrim area have highlighted the need for communities to work alongside the police in tackling the problem and in raising awareness of what is occurring. Obviously public awareness campaigns are very important and there is a growing acceptance amongst the agricultural community to ensure that reasonable precautions are taken to lock sheds and to ensure that opportunistic thefts may be prevented. Similarly, it is helpful to have photographs of the machinery as well as a list of makes, models and serial numbers, colour and a record of any damage.”

Mr Frew continued: “Right across the entire spectrum of rural theft we will want to hear from the Police how they can step up efforts to tackle this problem, but also to see how we can work in partnership to ensure that the very best outcomes are achieved for people living in rural areas.

“I would like to see Rural Theft recorded as at the moment the way crime is recorded the theft of a tractor is recorded the same as a chocolate bar or a lipstick in a town centre.

“Hopefully we will have some progress towards a taskforce soon,” he said.