Help keep criminals out in the cold

This is a great time of the year. However, rural areas and the Shropshire farming community tend to see a peak in crime during the colder, winter nights.

Maybe this is down to the darker evenings or simply a need, by some, to top up the festive bank-roll at the expense of others?

I was cheered therefore to meet a Shropshire dairyman the other week who is taking positive action to deter criminals.

He has just installed a new security system and invited other farmers and me to view the technology.

Andy Bebb, of Hanwood, held the open day after signing up to the Stop That Thief initiative, backed by the NFU, local authorities and police.

The scheme aims to improve communication between farmers and the police and gives those who sign up access to security equipment and new burglar prevention technology.

Farmers who gathered for the event were given practical security demonstrations from Tristan Brooks, of Westflight Security, as well as information on the initiative and other steps farm businesses can take to help deter thieves.

Mr Brooks, who has fitted systems across the region, said he had seen demand from Shropshire farmers from across all sectors and systems could be bespoke.

One of the many measures he puts in place are state-of-the-art infrared siren alarms, placed around farms with signs and other on-farm security measures to keep thieves away.

Mr Bebb told me he had a quote for a system around two years ago but didn’t go ahead at the time. However, a theft then made his mind up and he said he was hopeful it would do the job.

Being a victim of any crime is a horrendous experience and in the farming community it’s mainly theft which causes serious hassle and disruption to a business, as well as an obvious financial loss. Stop That Thief was introduced in Herefordshire around five years ago and is remarkable in that previously targeted businesses, with systems in place, have not seen reoffending. Those who sign up are offered a crime prevention assessment and have the chance to trial the technology first before committing.

NFU members who go ahead are also offered the equipment at a special rate.

So here’s to a crime-free Christmas. Maybe the cold snap will be deterrent enough but the NFU would also urge members to consider Stop That Thief and see if it’s right for them.

The union is also working with officers to look at other ways to help tackle rural crime in our county.

Oliver Cartwright, NFU Shropshire