A new campaign to cut country crime across Glamorgan has been launched to put an end to opportunist thieves stealing valuable agricultural equipment and tools.
The Farmers’ Union of Wales Glamorgan county team has already been in talks with South Wales Police Commissioner Alun Michael over the increasing number of thefts and vandalism in the region.
Working with South Wales Police, FUW county executive officer Rachel Saunders and members of the union’s county executive are putting in place new measures to identify and prevent rural crime.
“There are increasing numbers of incidents where valuable machinery has been taken, and it has proven to be impossible to retrieve it,” Saunders said.
By building closer links between our members and the police, we aim to turn this around and make would-be thieves think again about targeting South Wales.
The first step in the campaign is to make the region’s farming community, making landowners – whether they are members or not – aware that there is support out there.
Report it
“The problem we have identified is that many farmers just don’t report random crime for one reason or another. Our message is that everyone in the countryside needs to report even the most trivial offence to the police, and get a crime number,” Saunders added.
After reporting crime to the police, farmers are asked to also let their local union know. In Wales, the FUW can be contacted on: 01446-774-838. Alternatively, those affected by crime can call into their local county office or email the team on: [email protected].
“[The idea is] that we can keep a centralised record of all the crimes that have been committed, then we can get a clear idea of what the current situation is,” she said.
The aim is to evaluate just what the crime levels are, the most vulnerable targets and which areas across the South Wales force are primary targets for thieves, so that police resources can be best used.
“With this empirical evidence we shall be able to report back to the Police Commissioner at further meetings, and working together, find new ways of making South Wales a ‘no-go’ for criminals,” said Saunders.
The message is simple: Working together and integrated co-operation means we shall be able to make a difference.
The new campaign will start rolling out at local county shows across the region, with promotional material and advice on how to protect your property and possessions from theft.
