Farm Crime Co-ordination Unit to be formed by Victoria Police

A new Farm Crime Co-ordination Unit is to be formed in Victoria, with a dedicated detective inspector at its helm.

A detective inspector of farm crime will oversee a new unit at Victoria Police. Picture: File

POLICE Minister Lisa Neville is about to announce the formation of a new Farm Crime Co-ordination Unit at Melbourne Showgrounds today.
Ms Neville said Inspector Karl Curran had been appointed to oversee a team of more than 70 Farm Crime Liaison Officers, previously known as Agricultural Liaison Officers, with administrative and co-ordination support from the new unit.

“We’ve listened to the increased concerns in rural communities and we’ve acted,” Ms Neville said.

“The new Farm Crime co-ordination Unit will help centralise Victoria Police’s response to farm crime, while also ensuring the continued presence of Agricultural Liaison Officers across the state.

“The unit will work directly with Victoria’s farming and agricultural communities and monitor crime trends and patterns to better respond to farm crime.”

Ms Neville’s office said the new team would strengthen the work already undertaken by AGLOs by providing a dedicated response to target farm crime by monitoring crime trends and patterns.

The unit will also provide advice to Victoria’s farming and agricultural community, as well as intelligence and operational advice to Victoria Police command.

The latest crime statistics show in the year to March 30, almost 3600 farm-related thefts were recorded, with power tools, tools, livestock, and electrical appliances among the top items stolen.

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The Government has provided $900,000 for the Victorian Farmers Federation to work with the farming sector to respond effectively and quickly to animal welfare and biosecurity issues and develop a campaign to maintain the community’s confidence in the industry.

VFF president David Jochinke said the appointment of a new detective inspector was a step in the right direction, as long as it led to the formation of a dedicated Farm Crime Unit.

Under the current model, established by the former Baillieu-Napthine Coalition Government, regional Victorian police act as agricultural liaison officers who investigate farm crime as one of their many other duties.

It is not clear from the Government’s announcement whether the new unit’s work will lead to more on-the-ground police resourcing for farm crime, given existing AGLOs are being rebranded as Farm Crime Liaison Officers.