By Gary Ford, head of strategy and producer engagement, BFREPA
My thoughts this month turn to rural crime, largely because we have become a victim ourselves. The experience has forced us to re-evaluate what we do and how we do it, and it has caused a significant amount of inconvenience and disruption.
Part of our response to these unwelcome “visitors” has been to tip dumper loads of clay in front of field gates to create a physical barrier and prevent them from becoming access points. I had considered installing a concrete panel across gateways, supported at either end by RSJs, but trying to source concrete panels these days is harder than I ever imagined.
All of this has caused me to reflect. Never before, in four generations of farming, have we had to resort to measures such as these. Indeed, my parents struggle to get their heads around it and, were they still alive, I suspect my grandparents and great-grandparents would have found it equally unthinkable. They farmed the land at a time when such challenges largely did not exist. Creating Fort Knox in the countryside would certainly not have been their idea of farming.
The police have been enthusiastic and supportive, which has been both comforting and encouraging. Forensics even offered to become involved, albeit after the damaged item had already been removed. Being candid, however, we all know that the police do not have the resources to investigate every incident fully. That reality is frustrating. It creates a sense of vulnerability and reinforces the need for farmers and rural businesses to become increasingly self-reliant.
I’m not entirely sure where we go from here, other than increasing our use of CCTV and investing in additional physical security measures, such as blocking gateways into neighbouring fields. Ironically, as I am now discovering, that creates its own challenges. We already need to move one pile of clay in order to access a field that I had hoped could remain shut up until next May or June.
Perhaps the most important thing we can do is impress upon our local MP the scale and impact of rural crime. If nothing else, we should report every incident to the police, however minor it may seem. Reporting can be done quickly and easily online, and accurate reporting is essential if the true extent of the problem is to be understood.