'Alarming' 34% spike in sophisticated Scotland rural crime incidents as top targets revealed

The cost of rural crime in Scotland has increased by more than a third over the past year, figures have revealed.

This cost was up 34.9 per cent in 2023 compared to the previous year, which is an estimated cost of £1.8 million, according to figures from insurance company NFU Mutual.

The report said this reflected the UK-wide trend, with rural crime costing the UK an estimated £52.8m last year - up from £50.6m the previous year.

In a sign of the increasing organisation and sophistication of criminals, Global Positioning System (GPS) units were targeted by gangs throughout 2023, causing the value of claims to NFU Mutual to rocket by 137 per cent to an estimated £4.2m.

Intelligence shows thieves frequently target several farms in one night before moving locations to steal these highly valuable and portable kits. The high-tech equipment, typically costing more than £10,000 a unit, is used to guide tractors and combine harvesters to improve accuracy. Without it, farmers and agricultural contractors can face severe delays and disruption to harvesting and cultivating work.

Quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) were also top targets for rural thieves, with thefts up nine per cent to an estimated £3.2m in claim costs reported to NFU Mutual last year.

Farm animals worth an estimated £2.4m were severely injured or killed in dog attacks across the UK in 2023, up nearly 30% compared to the previous year. | Katharine Hay

Livestock theft remained high last year, at an estimated cost of £2.7m across the UK. Last year also saw a spate of alarming incidents where farm animals were butchered in fields, the report said. Some farm animals worth an estimated £2.4m were severely injured or killed in dog attacks across the UK last year, up nearly 30 per cent compared to the previous year.

The report said sharp rises in inflation last year made farming equipment an attractive target for organised gangs. The total claims cost for agricultural vehicles thefts reported to NFU Mutual, however, fell 9 per cent to an estimated £10.7m in 2023 due to action against organised crime groups.

Kenny Wood, from farm contractors, R. Wood and Sons, was a victim of rural crime costing some £17,000. Thieves peeled wall sheeting from a storage building at the Berwickshire farm business to steal GPS units from parked tractors.

From the front of the building, there was no sign of any damage. Staff only realised they had been raided when they started the tractors the next morning and found there was no signal on the cab displays.

Thieves had targeted the business six weeks earlier, taking the roof domes and cab displays from six tractors. The domes were recovered within hours after this first raid by police who carried out a random stop on a car travelling through their patch and found the stolen GPS kit in the vehicle.

“It’s very disturbing to have had people in our locked buildings stealing equipment on at least two occasions,” said Mr Wood. “Criminals are obviously watching farms and contractors to establish what equipment they’ve got and how to get in and steal it. I’ve heard of farms being watched with drones.

“We’re now taking GPS kit off our tractors and harvesters every night and storing them securely. This is far from an ideal way of working though - you have to climb onto the bonnet of the tractor to get the dome off the cab roof, which is a safety risk. We’re also finding that constantly connecting and disconnecting the systems is damaging the wiring. 

“Thieves see GPS as easy pickings - there have been numerous thefts in the area and a neighbour’s farm was also hit the same night we were raided.” Martin Malone, NFU Mutual regional manager for Scotland, said: “All the indications suggest rural crime is becoming more organised, sophisticated and determined in its nature, which is incredibly alarming for people who live and work in the countryside.

“While the overall cost of agricultural vehicle theft fell, thanks to co-ordinated efforts, it is concerning to see the value of GPS and ATV thefts continue to rise, with thieves turning to technology to scope out locations. 

“Intelligence highlights these criminals often target several farms in one night before moving locations, then return weeks later looking to steal any replacements.

“As the UK’s leading rural insurer, we know the impact of rural crime goes well beyond the practicalities of farming. It’s the unnerving feeling that criminals have boldly staked out and targeted farmyards and fields, often a few feet from the family home. It’s also living in fear of repeat attacks, knowing that thieves are always looking for new ways to target rural communities.”

Figures fluctuated across the UK, with cost rises in Wales (up 6.7 per cent to an estimated £2.4m), while Northern Ireland saw a drop (down 21.3 per cent to an estimated £2m).

A survey of NFU Mutual Agents, who are often embedded in the local communities they serve, found 91 per cent believed thieves were more organised, with 82 per cent saying they knew farmers who had been impacted by rural crime in their area.

Some 86 per cent of NFU Mutual Agents said rural crime was negatively impacting farmers’ mental wellbeing and 77 per cent knew farmers who had been repeat victims.

Scottish Conservative shadow rural affairs and islands secretary Rachael Hamilton said: “The SNP’s soft-touch approach to justice has led to a sickening rise in rural crime, with the cost of criminality skyrocketing to £1.8m last year. 

“It is deeply concerning that thefts of quad bikes, ATVs and GPS systems are at record high levels and frankly farmers deserve better. That’s why we support a rural theft Bill, which would give Scottish farmers the kinds of protections which already exist elsewhere in the UK.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “The Scottish Government does not have a soft touch approach to crime and we are absolutely clear no one should be a victim to any kind of crime. That is why we continue to support the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime, which is a multi-agency partnership led by Police Scotland working with a range of bodies with interests in our rural economy that aims to prevent, reduce and tackle rural crime, particularly from the ever increasing threat posed by serious and organised crime groups.

“Recorded crime remains at one of the lowest levels since 1974.”