Crime gangs scoping out farms for theft, says union

Organised crime groups are "scoping out" farms in order to steal equipment including quad bikes and 4x4s, Wales' leading farming union has said.

"They know where these items are and they often know where the keys are kept, so it can be very intrusive," said Abi Reader, National Farmers' Union (NFU) Cymru's deputy president.

The cost of rural crime fell across the UK in 2024 except in Wales where it rose by 18% to £2.8m, NFU research shows – however this was also one of the lowest figures across the UK.

Dyfed-Powys Police said it was aware of the worry caused by rural crime, and would continue with operations and targeted patrols across the force area.

As well as organised crime, rural crime issues include livestock theft, dog attacks and fly tipping, according to farmers.

Ms Reader, 43, described it as an "enormous issue" in Wales, ranging from everyday items being stolen to livestock attacks by dogs and damage to crops caused by vehicles.

She also said the theft of quad bikes, which can cost several thousand pounds, was a particular issue.

"They seem to be high on the list of organised crime, and there are a lot of them in Wales.

"We're a livestock nation, and they're essential for day-to-day working life, so when they're stolen it has a huge emotional and financial impact."

She added farmers were also concerned about the potential for thefts to happen "again and again and again".

"These things come in waves, and we know organised crime groups are operating in communities. They're scoping out farms and they know where these items are," she said.

Some farmers are increasing their own security by installing CCTV and placing trackers on their vehicles, but Ms Reader said police needed to place more resources on rural crime.

Research by the NFU said the total cost of rural crime in the UK fell by 16.5% last year from £52.8m in 2023 to £44.1m in 2024, praising the "power of collaboration" between farmers, police and insurers.

The figures show a fall in the cost of rural crime in all parts of the UK except in Wales, where it increased from £2.4m to £2.8m, a rise of 18%.

Wales had the third lowest cost for rural crime in the UK in 2024, with only Northern Ireland (£1.8m) and Scotland (£1.2m) being lower, while the Midlands was the region with the highest cost at £8.1m.

Garry Williams, 55, who runs a farm near Llangadog, Carmarthenshire, said he had had equipment such as chainsaws, farm tools and fencing materials stolen, as well as livestock.

He said organised crime groups will steal "anywhere between 12 to 15 quad bikes in the area, and that could be all over Carmarthenshire".

"They'll strike in one area, and then move somewhere else," he said, adding there were concerns that some of these groups were becoming "more determined" and more willing to use violence.

"It does cause mental stress... it's not a nice feeling someone coming onto your farm, your property, at night," he said.

Mr Williams added livestock theft was also an issue, some of which was "farmer-to-farmer".

"They'll load them up in the night and steal them and try and pass them onto an abattoir or the livestock market," he said.

Other issues he raised were fly-tipping, particularly in remote areas, as well as dog attacks on livestock resulting from improved access to footpaths in rural areas.

"You can have the nicest dog in the world, but people often don't want to put them on a lead, and if they attack they can cause some really nasty injuries," he said.

Mr Williams said he believed police resources was an issue when it comes to tackling rural crime.

Although he was positive about collaboration with Dyfed-Powys Police, including a recent meeting with the police commissioner, he urged the force to put more resources into the issue including having an inspector dedicated to tackling rural crime.

"It works when the infrastructure is in place, when there are officers who know about rural crime, but it can feel like a postcode lottery. What we want is consistency of that structure," he said.

Dyfed-Powys Police said it was "aware of the significant impact that crimes of this nature have on victims and the worry it can cause to the wider community".

A spokesperson said officers from its rural crime team visited farms to conduct "crime prevention audits", while also providing DNA-marking kits to help protect "valuable equipment and machinery".

"We will continue with operations and targeted patrols across the force area, however given the huge area we cover, it is difficult to be everywhere," they said.