PSNI at County Londonderry Agricultural show in Limavady tomorrow

Leaflets and materials have been produced with the support of commercial partners, the National Farmers’ Union and Ulster Farmers’ Union, and are aimed to provide advice and guidance in relation to farming and rural crime.

The stand, along with a fully livered tractor will be on show.The PSNI will also have stands at other agricultural events throughout the summer and the tractor will also be available to view at these venues.

Limavady Area Commander, Chief Inspector Sam Donaldson commented: “Tackling crime against the rural community is a major priority for police. We understand the effect these crimes have on communities and the grave impact they can have on farmers’ livelihoods. This remains a priority for us and we will continue to deal with this important issue. I would like to thank the Limavady Agricultural Show for their assistance in helping us raise awareness of rural crime prevention.”

Agriculture crime accounted for four per cent of all crime during 2011 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland has a service-wide Control Strategy to tackle it. The Control Strategy includes: “Carrying out theft prevention events in every rural District in Northern Ireland; Supporting other agencies, such as Crimestoppers, in metal theft awareness and appeal campaigns; Emphasising the impact of metal and cable theft internally and working with utility companies to make it more difficult to steal; Meeting with representatives of the major insurance companies to discuss areas of concerns and ways of working together to reduce theft incidents, including farm thefts and metal thefts; Establishing a rural crime text alert scheme; Appointing a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) in each Area Command Unit