As the dark evenings draw in, farmers are being urged to review security measures in a bid to deter criminals from targeting their farm.
The clocks will go back by one hour at 2:00a.m tomorrow (Sunday, October 29) meaning an extra hour in bed, however it will also get dark faster in the evenings.
Sgt. Graham Kavanagh, crime prevention officer for Laois/Offaly, told Agriland that darkness can be “the criminal’s friend”.
“When we talk about people coming into farm yards and stealing property, that really can happen anytime of the year, but it’s easier at this time of year because it’s darker earlier in the evening,” he said.
“Our advice at this time of year is to try and make the environment a little less comfortable for them, one example is lighting,” Sgt. Kavanagh added.
He urged farmers to take some time to check if lights on the farm yard and around the farm house are working and effective. This ensures that criminals can be seen if they do come into the yard.
Criminals
Over half of farmers who took part in a survey published earlier this year said that they had been the victims of theft.
Equipment and tools accounted for just over one fifth of thefts, followed by machinery (18%), fuel (12%) and money and personal items (6%).
Sgt. Kavanagh said a simple piece of advice for farmers is to make a habit of closing gates, which deters opportunistic thieves from driving into yards to scope out what they could potentially steal.
“They look at trailers, quads, PTOs, fuel, tools, so it’s securing them effectively, not leaving them sitting out in the yard that they can be easily taken. Lock them away and secure them the best you can,” he said.
“People are investing in cameras to watch cattle in sheds; it’s effective and it works, but maybe if you’re doing that, get a couple more cameras that you could use around the yard.
“If someone comes into the yard, you get a notification on your phone and if there’s a problem, you can ring 999 then,” he added.
Sgt. Kavanagh also said that vehicles should not be parked up with the keys left in them.
“We have seen incidents where vehicles are taken and then subsequently the vehicle being used to commit crime in other areas,” he said.
In recent years, gardaí across the country have begun offering property marking services to the public, which engraves an Eircode or a unique mark which is easily identifiable to the owner.
Theft
Sgt. Kavanagh said it is crucial that farmers report all thefts or suspicious activity in their area to their local gardaí or district headquarters.
“It basically helps us police effectively if we know what’s going on. If we don’t know what’s going on and it comes up in a meeting in six or 12 months’ time, well it’s a lost opportunity for everyone,” he said.
The crime prevention officer added that local text alert systems can also be an effective deterrent against criminals.
“It’s not always the strangers that are coming into the area that are committing the thefts. Sometimes that’s emanating from our own communities.
“So it’s reporting concerns, reporting suspicious activity,” he said.
People in rural areas should be vigilant about suspicious activity in vacant properties or sheds which criminals can occasionally use to store stolen property.
“There’s loads of quick fixes that don’t cost you anything to do, it’s just changing your habits. Then you can start spending a bit of money that needs to be done, prioritise things,” he continued.
“The most important thing is that we all continue that piece of work that we do well in Ireland, that we work together, that engagement between your local guard and the community,” Sgt. Kavanagh said.