Your Rural Business has become a target for thieves NOW is the time to act!
Q. WHY?!?! The Police do not do anything???
A. Policing is determined by the National Intelligence Model, which is driven by recorded incidents and recorded crime.
If you don't report incidents or crime then rural crime "is off the radar".
Here is some crime prevention that can help to try and reduce Rural Crime.
Your business is your castle . . .
Our ancestors had full control over entry and exits to their castles.
They achieved this by having a combined entry and exit point using gates, watch towers, moats, walls and guards.
- Look closely at the perimeter of your property, remove all gates and entrances that you no longer use.
- Plant thorn hedges with deep ditches and bunds.
- Change the layout of your business to establish a single entrance and exit.
- Place a gate at the public end to your entrance to make it less inviting.
- Place a second inner gate at the private end of entrance to your property.
- Invert and cap gate hinges so that gates cannot be lifted off, or use good padlocks with covers so they cannot be cut off. Also ensure all fixing bolts cannot be removed.
- If a gate is not being used for a lengthy period, place a temporary obstruction in front of it so it cannot be opened or used for parking or rubbish tipping.
- Use locking posts or temporary obstructions to control large openings to yards
- Cattle grids should be removable and locked out of position when not in use.
- Place CCTV at the inner gate to record the number plates of vehicles and the faces of drivers. Place CCTV signs up as well.
- Install sensor controlled 'dusk to dawn' security lights to alert you to visitors
- Install an infra red device at the inner gate which will sound an alarm / bell to alert you to visitors.
- Join Farm Watch, obtain signs from your local team and place them on your gate posts.
- Place signs stating 'you do not buy from calling sales persons'
Historically, many Farm buildings were built for Storage, not for Security. Now they need to be secure as well as to provide cover.
- Put yourself in the place of a thief; inspect your buildings and upgrade your storage to reflect the value of the property stored in it. Fit high quality locks. Ensure the fabric of the building is secure. Seek advice from a Police Crime prevention Officer.
- Add indoor security by installing sensors with audible alarms. Display signs to show you have alarms installed.
- Consider CCTV
- Store all your property indoors when not in use.
- Keep all doors locked, except when the building or office is in use and there is someone present
- If your building shell is poor, use secondary secure storage such as a container.
- Nothing should be stored or kept in a visible location, except when in use. When vehicles or plant of any sort are kept outside they should be kept locked and the keys kept in your possession or in a locked key cupboard.
- All property must be uniquely marked, photographed and recorded in an asset register that includes serial, chassis and model numbers.
- Use property marking solutions to uniquely mark all types of property, or post code your property in a non-visible place and photograph it. Marking solutions: Smartwater - www.smartwater.com or Selectamark - www.selectamark.co.uk or Identidot - www.identidot.com
- If your property is high value fit a tracking device or a data tracking chip. Your insurance company, or a Police Crime Prevention Officer will be able to advice you on the best product.
- Register valuable plant; the national plant and equipment register (www.ter-europe.org) runs an international database of owned and stolen equipment. It employs staff who work with law enforcement agencies to identify and recover stolen equipment. You can register five items for free. Tractors and other agricultural machinery, trailers, caravans, quarry equipment and generators are amongst the most stolen items.
- Your computer is vulnerable to electronic theft as well as thieves. Ensure you have an up-to-date virus checker and firewall if you use email or the internet.
- Identity theft is an emerging crime. Buy a home shredder for all unwanted personal documents.
- Avoid sitting storage tanks in isolated areas such as outlying buildings. A mobile bowser could be used instead and removed to a secure location when not in use.
- For tanks located close to an electricity supply there are additional options - better lighting, motion sensors and alarms - to act as further deterrents.
Caravans are very desirable and thieves will go to extraordinary measures to steal them. There are existing industry standards which you should aspire to.
- The Caravan Storage Site Owners association (www.cassoa.co.uk) has a scheme for accrediting storage facilities. Secured by Design (www.securebydesign.com) have a secure caravan parks accreditation scheme.
Rural businesses have many sensitive potential arson locations.
- Hay and Straw should be removed from fields as soon as possible after harvesting.
- Hay and Straw should be stored: Separately from other buildings, particularly those housing fuels, agrochemicals and machinery. Also in stacks reasonable size, spaced at least 10 meters apart, separately from livestock housing as well.
- Petrol, Diesel and other fuels should be stored in secure areas and storage tanks outlets should be padlocked
- Fertilisers and pesticides should be kept under lock and key. The health & safety executive can provide further advice on the storage and transportation of fertilisers, particularly ammonium nitrate.
- Refuse should be disposed of safely and on a regular basis.
A Strong sense of community still exists in rural locations.
- Join the Farm Watch Scheme or if already joined encourage other people to join.
- Find out who the local Police Contact is for your area . . . for Southam and surrounding villages contact details are at the bottom of this email.
- If you have a suspicious caller at your business, record the vehicle registration number, descriptions of the persons and report this to the police.
As well as these messages being sent out, the team here at Southam also rely on the vigilant members of our community to keep us informed of any information that is not reported to the Police.
We encourage all members of our Community to report incidents no matter how big or little they are.
This message if possible needs to be past onto all co-coordinators for your areas. I really appreciate your help, your continued support and look forward to working with you all.
Please report all crimes and/or incidents on the new non-emergency reporting number 101.
All emergencies on 999
Kind Regards,
Claire Murray
PCSO 6247
on behalf of . . .
SOUTHAM / WELLESBOURNE FARM WATCH & NEIGHBOURHOOD WATCH
Southam Police Station
High Street
Southam
Tel : 01926 684984
Email : southamfarmwatch@warwickshire.pnn.police.uk / southam.snt@warwickshire.police.uk
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