Theft of plant and agriculture machinery

Agreed on 11 March 2022. Updated on 21 June 2023

Unfortunately the theft of agriculture plant and machinery is an ever growing issue across the UK.

Items of plant and machinery are hugely expensive and easy to sell for profit and often targeted by organised criminal groups. Agriculture vehicle theft cost £9.1m. (Source NFU Mutual rural crime report 2021)

The rural affairs unit will continue to visit victims and farms and will also be holding events in the coming months across the force area to promote good preventative measures and practice surrounding securing your agriculture plant and machinery to prevent theft of these items.

Actions

21 June 2023

Unfortunately, the theft of agriculture plant and machinery continues to be an ever-growing issue across the UK. Yesterday officers from Rural Affairs Unit and Wiltshire Rural Crime Team ran an early morning operation with VIN CHIP to target potential stolen plant machinery being moved around on our road infrastructure. This operation covered the Warminster and Frome areas, during which officers stopped all kinds of agricultural and plant vehicles and trailers to conduct checks and ascertain if they were stolen or not. No items were detected!! Both teams will continue to run these joint operations
7 June 2023

The rural affairs unit will be carrying out a prevention event at Frome agriculture market on the 28th June (please see events for further timing details) this event will be mainly focussed on preventing the theft of agriculture trailers. Collaborative working with our partners DATATAG, NFU and Cornish Mutual. The unit will offer Free marking of agriculture trailers during the event as well as an opportunity to deliver some relevant crime preventative advice to protect your plant and machinery.
13 April 2023

The rural affairs unit continue to promote the following security advice to keep your agriculture plant and machinery secure and safe:
- Consider fitting tracking devices on your agriculture and plant vehicles. You can also mark them using security or forensic markings. Check with your insurance provider as some will offer discounts once a tracker is fitted.
- Consider locking vehicles and plant in secure outbuildings or containers.
- Record vehicle and machinery serial numbers and take photographs for reference. If your plant is stolen a photo will increase publicity and possibly aid the recovery of your stolen property.
- Secure your vehicle (QUAD and ATVs) using suitable locking devices and fixed ground anchors secured to the floor using the correct gauge in security chains and padlocks.
- Protect your vehicles, trailers and plant by registering them on the Immobilise Property Register.
- Consider fitting a key safe so keys to vehicles are kept in a secure place.
- Remove all GPS from your machines when not in use and store in a secure place.
- Ensure all trailers are fitted with a good standard wheel clamp and hitch lock. Consider the use of a ground anchor also.
13 April 2023

Good News Story – Officers from Avon and Somerset have recovered a recently stolen IFOR WILLIAMS twin axle horse box from a location in Somerset. Investigations are on – going. This shows the Importance of reporting and marking your property correctly to enable identification to be carried out. Please consider taking photos and collating VIN, chassis, serial numbers taking photos and collating VIN, chassis, serial numbers of all your property to assist in identification.
28 November 2022

The rural affairs unit have carried out numerous prevention events over the last few months, these events were mainly focussed on preventing the theft of agriculture trailers. Collaborative working with our partners DATATAG, NFU and Cornish Mutual. The unit offered Free marking of agriculture trailers during these events as well as an opportunity to deliver some relevant crime preventative advice to protect your plant and machinery. In total we successfully security marked 100 trailers over the events held.
26 October 2022

The last month has seen a rise of agriculture trailer theft across the force. We are urging our farming communities to be vigilant and review their security measures. Here are some security tips:
- Record trailer serial numbers and photograph your trailer. A photo will assist publicity and possible recovery should you become a victim of theft. Record obvious damage and repairs which may help with identification. The above advice is vital. Store on immobilise.com
- Having your trailer marked, security marked with forensic property marking systems such as SELECTA DNA, DATATAG. You could also mark in several areas – e.g. by painting on your post code / farm name really bold to deter theft.
- Secure your trailer using a wheel clamp, hitch lock.
- Chaining items together and securing to a solid structure / appropriate ground anchor with a high rated CEN padlock and chain.
- The removal of wheels if your trailer is not going to be used for a period and store them in a separate place than the trailer itself.
Advice: We recommend the use of security products which are compliant with the appropriate British Standard, in addition look for products that carry the Sold Secure or Secured by Design accreditation. These products have been tested and proven to resist a considerable level of attack. Suppliers of suitable accredited products can be found via these websites: www.soldsecure.com www.securedbydesign.com
29 September 2022

Good news story: A TYM T290 Tractor that was stolen last month in the Somerset east area has been located and recovered this week by rural affairs officers. Investigations are still on-going.
23 September 2022

The rural affairs unit in company with the Roads Policing team carried out an operation where several items of plant, machinery and trailers were stopped and checked . This is part of our ongoing work to deter and detect stolen items being moved around on our roads. Items were seized on the day and investigations are currently on-going.
16 August 2022

The unit will be attending Sedgemoor agriculture market (Junction 24) on the 17 September 2022, where they will be running a crime prevention event. This event will mainly be focussed on preventing the theft of agriculture trailers, with collaborative working with partners DATATAG and NFU the unit will be offering free marking of agriculture trailers (limited kits) during this event as well as giving some useful crime preventative advice to our farming communities.
23 June 2022

Good news story: As a result of an investigation involving officers from a Neighbourhood Policing team, rural affairs unit, Intelligence Investigators and Vehicle Recovery, a quadbike stolen from a farm in the force area in May has now been recovered and will be returned to the rightful owner.

We would like to remind our farmers and landowners to make a note of all serial numbers/ chassis numbers on their plant and equipment. This could prove vital when identifying and returning stolen property.
27 May 2022

Crime prevention advice on keeping your plant and machinery safe.
- Consider fitting tracking devices on your agriculture and plant vehicles. You can also mark them using security or forensic markings. Check with your insurance provider as some will offer discounts once a tracker is fitted.
- Consider locking vehicles and plant in secure outbuildings or containers.
- Record vehicle and machinery serial numbers and take photographs for reference. If your plant is stolen a photo will increase publicity and possibly aid the recovery of your stolen property.
- Secure your vehicle (QUAD and ATVs) using suitable locking devices and fixed ground anchors secured to the floor using the correct gauge in security chains and padlocks.
- Protect your vehicles, trailers and plant by registering them on the Immobilise Property Register.
- Consider fitting a key safe so keys to vehicles are kept in a secure place.
- Remove all GPS from your machines when not in use and store in a secure place.
- Ensure all trailers are fitted with a good standard wheel clamp and hitch lock. Consider the use of a ground anchor also.
28 April 2022

The unit attended Frome agriculture market this week, where they carried out a crime prevention event.

This event was mainly focussed on preventing the theft of agriculture trailers.

With collaborative working with partners DATATAG and NFU the unit managed to mark 38 agriculture trailers during the event as well as giving some useful crime preventative advice to our farming communities.
14 April 2022

Officers from the unit have recovered two stolen agriculture trailers in recent weeks. Investigations are on-going in reference to both of these incidents.

This shows the Importance of reporting all rural crime and the marking of your property correctly to enable identification to be carried out.

Advice: Please consider taking photos and collating all VIN, chassis, serial numbers of all your property to assist in any identification.
26 March 2022

Following a recent report of a theft of a mini excavator in Dorset, two men were arrested on suspicion of theft this week after a joint operation at a location in Somerset with the rural affairs unit and our colleagues from the Dorset rural crime team. Investigations are currently on-going as we continue to tackle rural crime and the theft of plant and machinery.