Sophisticated rural crime gangs are using drones to spy on local farmers costing them a fortune in stolen equipment. As a new report reveals the extent of rural crime, a Wittersham farmer says he has had to increase security after being targeted by thieves using the machines. Criminals use drones to observe the routines of rural businesses, before returning to steal their property. Top of the list are quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles, as well GPS technology and Land Rover Defenders.
Edward Lovejoy, who runs Hope Farm in Wittersham, lost a quad bike worth £8,000 in May last year. He farms 900 acres where, in addition to his flock of 1,400 ewes, he runs a campsite and butchery business. “They must have been watching us, probably using a drone. You do see drones around and it does make you wonder because they ignored all the other sheds and went straight for the one with the quad bike in it.” He upped the security on his farm and when the thieves returned a year later, they were thwarted.
Last year, his Lovejoy Farm Partnership suffered the loss of 116 sheep, worth more than £16,000. “That was a very carefully planned theft. They came with a lorry, took what they could and left the rest. Clearly there was a chain ahead to slaughter the animals, butcher them and then sell them on.”
The Country Land and Business Association (CLA) says farms in Kent lost £1.9m worth of equipment in 2022 – a staggering 37% up year on year (£1.4m). The CLA says drones, which can be flown without a licence and cost less than £100, are used to identify weak spots, equipment storage locations, to track movements, scope building layouts and assess the presence of security.
Claire Wright, the CLA’s national access adviser, urged farmers to report drone sightings over their land or property as they “might well be scoping your business out ahead of a potential raid”. The escalating scale of the problem was highlighted by the National Farmers’ Union which last week reported the cost of rural theft soared by 22% last year. The figures were released by insurers NFU Mutual, which has also noted the increased use of drones in rural crime. In its 2023 rural crime report, published on August 1, the insurer revealed that rural crime cost the UK an estimated £49.5m in 2022, up from £40.5m the previous year.
Image Credits: Hippopx Creatve Commons , Edward Lovejoy .