Key considerations for rural crime prevention on farms
With this in mind, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) has issued farmers with some key considerations and advice to mull over.
In a brief reminder on the matter to farmers, PSNI officers took to social media yesterday (Sunday, September 5) to say:
“Farm vehicles and machinery are crucial to any farm business and costly to replace.
In terms of key advice, the PSNI video stresses the need to take a moment to ensure one’s machinery is secure.
The PSNI points to storing machinery, vehicles and other equipment in “secure alarmed buildings”, or alternatively securing equipment with heavy duty chains and padlocks to fixed points or other equipment when not in use, to make them harder to move
Farmers are also advised to ensure their vehicles are locked when not in use and, as an extra deterrent, to remove key, batteries or distributor caps from vehicles not being used.
Turning from prevention to recovery, the PSNI rural crime prevention video urges rural dwellers to mark all equipment with at least two identification marks.
This way it is easier to identify, firstly for authorities, and also for rightful owners to claim if the property is recovered.
On a more high-tech level, the PSNI offers suggestions of using the Cesar electronic marking scheme for one’s high-value equipment, or alternatively electronic vehicle recovery systems such as ‘tracker’.
Trackers can be either wired into the electrical systems of vehicles or battery-powered for property such as trailers.
