Trespassing is the 'most common' crime against farmers

Trespassing is the “most common” crime against farmers, according to a report by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

As part of the Crime and Victimisation 2019 report, farming households were surveyed and the results show that trespassing was the most frequently reported crime, with 18% of farming respondents to the survey saying they experienced trespassing on their land.

Respondents in farming households were asked a series of additional questions as part of the survey relating to their experience of crimes specific to farms. Over a fifth (21%) of farming households surveyed said that a crime or crimes had been committed against the farm in the 12 months prior to interview.

In the report, it is also outlined that 2% of respondents said they experienced theft of farm machinery, 1% reported theft of / interfering with livestock and 0.5% reported theft of a farm vehicle.

Border and western regions see lowest levels of household crime

In regards to household crime not specific to farming, the border and western regions saw the lowest levels of household crime with 2% of households being victimised, according to the report.

Households in the Dublin region were the most likely to be victims of household crime, with 6% of respondents saying they had suffered a burglary or theft.

Nearly 2% of respondents in the west of Ireland reported that they were victims of rural crime and nearly 3% of respondents in the south-west reported that they were victims.