Rural community reminded of the importance of property marking following recent spate of thefts

Officers from Northamptonshire Police’s Rural Crime Team investigating the theft of livestock handling equipment are urging farmers and landowners to mark their possessions and report any suspicious activity.

The Force has received eight reports of the theft of sheep-related farming equipment since the start of January across the county, with sheep hurdles, sheep handling systems, weigh scales, sheering machines, guillotine gates and sheep feeders being targeted.

With investigations into these offences continuing, the Rural Crime Team has issued a timely reminder to farmers and landowners on the importance of property marking to help them to protect their items.

Northamptonshire Police Rural crime officer, PC Chloe Gillies, said: “Agricultural equipment and vehicles are vital to the running of a farm and we’re doing all we can to help our rural businesses protect themselves.

“A key prevention measure is clearly and permanently marking your possessions, ideally with your surname and postcode. This makes them less attractive to criminals as well as making it more likely that they can be returned to you if they are stolen.

“Keeping a detailed, up-to-date list of all your equipment is also really important, so for a handling system this would include noting the brand and component parts, such as number of hurdles, sizes, whether it includes guillotine gates, turnover crates, and so on.”

The Rural Crime Team work closely with colleagues from neighbouring forces to help recover stolen property and reunite it with the rightful owners however, stolen equipment is usually moved out of the county quickly.

These items are then often sold on at auction and buyers are also being urged to play their part in helping to tackling offences by reporting anything suspicious, or lots which could be stolen, to police and the auctioneer.

PC Gillies added: “We work very closely with our colleagues from neighbouring forces, both sharing information and intelligence, to locate and recover property which has been stolen from Northamptonshire or across the county borders.

“The best approach is to build up layers of protection for your premises and items – don’t rely on one element alone but use several to make it an unappealing target for a would-be thief but if you do know where such items are being advertised for sale, please let us know.”

Tips for protecting agricultural equipment and vehicles:

• Clearly mark equipment and vehicles with your postcode and surname
• Don’t store items in isolated or insecure locations
• Make a list of all your equipment, including product name, any serial numbers, type and size of component parts, any security features, or distinctive marks. Take photos too if you can
• At auctions, report any suspicious activity to police – include descriptions and registrations
• If you suspect any lots could be stolen, immediately inform the auctioneer and the police
• Keep all vehicle paperwork together and secure – not with the vehicle
• Log VRNs and chassis numbers, make written descriptions and take photos
• Consider using crime prevention products to protect your premises and items

For more advice, visit northants.police.uk/cp/crime-prevention/

Anyone with information regarding crime or suspicious activity in their community is asked to contact Northamptonshire Police on 101, or online at northants.police.uk. Always call 999 if a crime is in progress.