Rural crime increases – a worrying trend?

Farmers and graziers are being invited to join a unique rural crime event on Dartmoor. Hosted at Tor Royal Farm, Princetown (29th January) the speakers will cover topics including sheep attacks and how to minimise the risk of thefts of farm
equipment and livestock.
The number of sheep worrying incidents continued to rise last year with 76% of police forces reporting an increase over the previous year, with the worst affected area being the South West. This follows a dramatic 30% increase in 2023 with injuries
and death of livestock valued at over £2.4m.
Sheep worrying formed the majority of the rural crime cases in the last year, but the total cost of rural crime reached £52.8m according to the NFU. This includes an estimated £3.2m for farm quad bikes and £2.7m allocated to livestock.
The total cost to the South West was £5m, up by more than 40% from 2023.
Estimated financial losses for sheep worrying in Britain were recorded at £50,000 which equates to an average of £1570 per incident. However, in reality most farmers are unable to recover costs and receive little to no compensation.
Dartmoor Livestock Protection Society has been trialling DNA test kits which can help to identify the dogs responsible. It’s critical that crime scenes are recorded and managed well post an incident to ensure evidence is collated to support a criminal
conviction. Karla Mckechnie, the Dartmoor Livestock Protection Officer, said: “The suffering to attacked sheep is immense. All means of identifying and controlling dogs must be explored.”
Anyone interested to find out more is invited by the Dartmoor Hill Farm Project to a joint event with Karla and the Polices Rural Crime Team. All are welcome to attend on Wednesday, 29th January, 11am – 3pm, at Tor Royal Farm, Princetown. The event
will cover theft and other rural crimes identifying items at most risk and with practical measures to reduce loss.
A light lunch and refreshments will be provided. For catering purposes please
contact the Dartmoor Hill Farm Project by email: hfp@dartmoor.gov.uk or by calling
07805 329704.