Crime down, but no time for complacency

Statewide, the latest Crime Statistics Agency figures showed there was a 12.5 per cent decrease in reported livestock thefts, down to 245 offences in September 2021, from 280 in 2020.

There was also a drop of 20.21pc in the total number of property and deception offences recorded at farm locations, from 3170 in 2020 to 2501 in 2021.

Offences ranged from thefts from farmhouses and sheds to criminal damage.

Farm Crime Coordination Unit head Inspector Paul Hargreaves said the coronavirus epidemic was likely to have caused the drop in reported crime.

"There's no doubt coronavirus restricted the movement of many Victorians, which meant that police were able to identify people moving about," Inspector Hargreaves said.

"If you were criminally inclined, there was a fair chance you were going to get caught.

"Some people will take what's not tied down and that's the whole reason we are out and about."

He said police would take their Farm Crime rural roadshow to the Yea and Warrnambool weaner sales within the next fortnight, after setting up displays at Wodonga and Wangaratta.

"We are targeting the weaner sales, as we know there is a significant amount of stock going through those yards."

"The whole idea is to put ourselves out where the farmers and stock agents are, as an easy point of contact for them to speak about concerns they may have on their property and what they can do to protect themselves from being victims of crime."

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Inspector Hargreaves said there were more that 160 contacts at the Wodonga sale.

"The engagement was very, very positive."

He said even though numbers were down slightly, police knew a significant amount of livestock was still being stolen.

"We know the price of livestock is high, after many years of what could have been considered a tough period for the agricultural sector.

'When they have reached a point where they are starting to make a bit of money, for their hard work, it's really sad and disappointing when their livestock is going missing."

He acknowledged clean up rates were "not where we would want them to be.

"A lot of times, the theft is reported some weeks after it happens - if there is anything we can do, it is to urge farmers to count and understand stock numbers regularly."

He said police understood farmers might not see sheep until they were crutched, shorn or drenched.

"But we are just keen to say to farmers, 'get out there more often', we have all heard about the neighbourhood policing approach.

'We have carriers, we have agents, we have friends, there are plenty of eyes and ears out there,

'If you hear something, you know something, or you suspect something speak up, contact somebody."