Rural Crime Prevention

Rural Crime Prevention – what you need to know to protect your livestock and livelihood.

Rural crime affects you

Rural crime affects the lifestyle and financial well-being of those who work and live in our rural communities.
Theft and malicious damage to livestock and equipment costs farmers millions of dollars annually in revenue and loss of productivity.

Prevent rural crime

As a landholder, you can prevent rural crime by following these simple steps to protect your property, machinery and
livestock:

• Improve farm, household and personal security.
• Ensure all property is clearly marked for easy identification.
• Report crime and suspicious activity to police.
• Organise a Rural Watch group in your local area.

To become involved in the Rural Watch Program or to obtain further information, contact your local Neighbourhood Watch Co-ordinator or your local police station.

Report rural crime

Contact police or Crime Stoppers if you see or hear of unusual movements of stock, vehicles or people. Record the time, date, location, description of vehicle, registration number and description of person/s.
Contact telephone numbers for the Stock and Rural Crime Investigation Squad can be found on the back page of this brochure.

To report crime anonymously, call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Livestock

• Mark all stock at an early age with permanent forms of identification (including registered brands, earmarks, eartags, tattoos or microchips).
• Cross brand any bought cattle and maintain records of those you have purchased.
• Keep receipts of any purchases (livestock and equipment) as additional proof of ownership.
• Avoid selling your brand to neighbours and keep track of your neighbours’ brands and the agistment stock they
  are running.
• Grade your boundary fence lines and regularly check stock. Immediately report any losses to police.
• Ensure your stock is not left in holding paddocks, loading races or in isolated areas that are not in sight of your homestead or a neighbouring homestead (unless the stock are constantly checked).
• Keep a close eye on stock dealings in family and other partnerships. Ensure that you attend branding and
  sales of partnership stock.
• Avoid leaving your property unattended on the same day, at the same time for the same length of time.
  

Stockyards

• Secure loading ramps and stockyards to prevent unauthorised use by others.
• Build stockyards away from the road and in sight of the homestead.

Home and Property

• Consider security when designing and erecting new buildings, sheds or stockyards.
• Regularly trim trees and shrubs around buildings to prevent concealment of intruders.
• Ensure building doors and windows are of solid construction and fitted with quality locks.
• Wherever possible construct storage facilities within sight of the house.
• Install vandal resilient external lighting around buildings.
• Inform trusted neighbours whenabsent from your property.

Boundary fences and gates

• Check the condition of boundary gates and fences regularly.
• Repair damaged fences and gates as soon as possible. Contact police and neighbours who may be affected,
  if the damage appears deliberate.
• Keep all paddock, shed and stockyard gates closed and locked.

Farm machinery, tools and equipment

• Always know where your machinery and equipment is located.
• Make a detailed inventory of all your personal, household and farm valuables. Record details including, serial numbers, inscriptions, brands, age, replacement value and other identifying features.
• Engrave or mark your property using a number or piece of information unique to you.
• Ensure all farming and livestock handling equipment, machinery and tools are kept in a secure area.
• Photograph or video your property, particularly stud stock, machinery and those items that are not easily engraved or marked. Keep these photographs in a safe place.

When leaving machinery and equipment unattended

• Never leave the ignition key in or near vehicles or machinery (or disable it by removing the distributor cap, rotor or  battery).
• Make sure it can be seen from the residence (avoid leaving it where it can be seen from an access road).
• Keep external fuel tanks, pumps and electric fence units secured and locked at their point of use. If the fuel supply is operated electronically, consider isolating the power supply.
• Keep the surfaces of your equipment and the surrounds clean. This will enable police to assess the area for fingerprints, should this be necessary.
• Registered guns and ammunition must be locked in an approved gun cabinet, which has been securely bolted to the floor.

Chemicals and fertilisers

• Store chemicals and fertilisers in their original container in a locked area separate to stockfeed and fuel.
• Make a detailed inventory of all chemicals and fertilisers including the product name, container description, formulation type, batch numbers, manufacturer’s name and expiry date.
• Keep invoices and receipts.