Farm crime action plan: How to protect your property
No one wants to be a victim of crime, especially over the holiday season. The Weekly Times has worked with Victoria Police to compile a comprehensive list of how to protect your farm. VIEW AND PRINT.
NO ONE wants to be a victim of crime, especially over the holiday season. The Weekly Times has worked with the head inspector of Victoria Police’s new Farm Crime Coordination Unit to compile a comprehensive list of how to protect your farm.
LOCK UP
Secure your tools, lock your gates and sheds, and hide the keys or secure them in a safe
“When they’ve got to cut chains and locks, they’ll move on,” says Inspector Karl Curran. “Have a really good, secure chain and lock.” Try to move larger equipment, which cannot be locked way, out of the view of passers by.
SAFETY NETWORK
Watch out for your neighbours and if you’re going away let them and local police know
Insp Karl Curran says police may be able to conduct drivebys and neighbours will know to be alert. “Whenever (offenders) see activity, they wont go in those areas, they’ll move on,” he says.
SIGNAGE
Put warning signs on your front gate
These can include “trespassers will be prosecuted” and “this property is under constant CCTV suvelliance” to discourage offenders
SURVEILLANCE
Consider installing security cameras
It is recommended to have cameras that can be monitored remotely and even send an alert to you when there’s movement on your property. If you’re away and notice something suspicious you can get in touch with neighbours and local police to check it out.
LABEL
Mark your drivers license number on your tools and machinery
This way Victoria Police can trace any stolen items back to you and thieves can’t claim it’s their own. “If we find your property in the possession of someone else, we can pair your name to the license number to prove it’s stolen,” says Inspector Karl Curran.
STOCK TAKE
Conduct regular stock takes of your farm tools, equipment and livestock
If you know what you have, you’ll know if something was to go missing, and if police recover the items they can return them to their rightful owner. Keep track of the “make, model and serial number from simple power tools all the way to heavy machinery and quad bikes”.
REPORT
Ensure crimes are reported ASAP
The earlier you report it the “more chances (they) have of conducting more successful investigations and prosecutions”. Insp Karl Curran says it is more likely to find witnesses that may have seen suspicious activity around the time of the incident. Neighbours are encouraged to report crime if the owner is away. “We can clarify with the owner and conduct an investigation before the owner returns.”
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