WATCHING YOU, WATCHING THEM…
While many people are cursing the invention of the surveillance camera as an Orwellian invasion into our daily lives, many see them as a blessing, even a necessity … especially those who live in more remote areas.
Although having a camera on your property will not help actually catch a perpetrator it will record the crimes on video whether that’s theft, vandalism or even assault. They may even deter some criminals or at least help the police to apprehend and prosecute them.
As tomorrow (Saturday 17 August) is Surveillance Day, it might be the opportune moment to consider just what having one can do for you, especially in light of the numerous recent farm thefts that have been reported within the Scottish Borders.
Figures released by NFU Mutual on 1 August 2024 showed the cost of rural crime in Scotland jumped 34.9% to an estimated £1.8m last year, reflecting a general UK-wide trend. The report reveals that rural crime cost the UK an estimated £52.8m in 2023, up from £50.6m the previous year.
Global Positioning System (GPS) units were targeted by gangs as the high-tech equipment typically costs over £10,000 a unit. Thieves frequently target several farms in one night before moving locations often revisiting farmyards weeks later to steal any replacements.
Quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs)saw a rise in thefts, up 9% to an estimated £3.2m last year.
Livestock theft also remained high in 2023, at an estimated cost of £2.7m across the UK. Last year saw a spate of alarming incidents where farm animals were butchered in fields. Farm animals worth an estimated £2.4m were severely injured or killed in dog attacks across the UK in 2023, up nearly 30% compared to the previous year.
The sharp rises in inflation in 2023 helped make farming equipment an attractive target for organised gangs and meant each theft cost the rural community more than in previous years.
It’s been a while since the first surveillance cameras were created by German engineer Walter Bruch and installed by Siemens in Germany in 1942 to observe the launch of V-2 rockets. Today, the total number of CCTV cameras in the UK is estimated to be almost 7.5 million.
While it might be impossible to stop thieves stealing from your farm, having a camera might help. And the more often criminals are caught in the act on TV, the more chance that they will be deterred from trying the same thing again.
