Here’s a bit of good news if you live in a rural area in Scotland. A report published by our sponsors, rural insurers NFU Mutual, has revealed that the cost of rural crime has fallen by 48%.

The figures are taken from NFU’s 2023 Rural Crime Report. Rural crime cost Scotland £1.4m in 2022, a fall of 48% from 2021.* The countryside is fighting back.

The welcome decrease comes after Scotland was hard hit by thieves targeting quad bikes in 2021, with the cost of rural crime in the country rocketing to £2.6m that year compared to £1.7m in 2020. Soaring values of farm machinery worldwide combined with low supply gave a focus to criminal gangs.

However cross-border operations, strong recovery rates of stolen agricultural machinery and increased forensic marking have helped to drive figures down.

Farm machinery targeted

The cost of GPS theft escalated sharply in the first four months of 2023 to over £500,000. The sophisticated equipment, typically costing over £10,000, is used to guide tractors and combine harvesters. Without it, farmers face severe delays and disruption to harvesting and cultivating work.

Quad bikes and all-terrain-vehicles (ATVs) have also been top targets for rural thieves.

Amid the cost-of-living crisis, diesel and heating oil thefts plagued farms and rural homes leaving some families without heat at the coldest time of year. Fuel theft doubled last year as both organised and opportunist thieves targeted the liquid gold sitting in fuel tanks across the countryside.

Martin Malone, NFU Mutual Manager for Scotland, said: “Rural theft is changing. It is not only opportunist thieves travelling a few miles, we are now seeing internationally organised criminal activity. These gangs target high-value farm machinery and GPS kits because they can be sold all over the world.

“Many items are stolen ‘to order’ by thieves using online technology to identify where farm machinery is stored and scope out the best way to steal it. They will also spend hours watching the movement of farming families to work out the best time to attack.

“Loss of vital machinery and GPS equipment causes huge disruption to farmers who are already stretched to the limit and replacing kit in the current economic situation can take months, adding additional stress.

“Those targeted by criminals may often second guess themselves in the aftermath of an incident as well as live in fear of repeat attacks on what is not only their workplace, but also their family home.

“That’s why we are working with farmers to help protect their livelihoods, sharing our advice and expertise as the main insurer of farmers and providing support to tackle rural crime.”

To help tackle crime in the countryside, NFU Mutual has invested over £300,000 over the past five years to support the Scottish Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC).

For more information on rural crime trends and advice on how to beat rural crime in your area download the report here.

*Figures based on claim statistics