Latest statistics show a drop in agricultural crime, year-on-year

The unit's head, Inspector Paul Hargreaves, was with Farm Crime Liaison Officers (FCLOs) at Hamilton, Casterton, Pakenham, Wangaratta and Wodonga weaner sales.

The latest Crime Statistics Agency figures, released in December last year, show there were 212 incidents of livestock theft in Victoria in the year ending September 2022.

That compared with 245 for the same period to September 2021.

Wellington Shire, with 16 reports of thefts, had the highest number of offences; there were 13 offences reported in Southern Grampians shire and nine in Ararat Rural City.

The total value of livestock stolen, up until September, was $2.6 million, with sheep and cattle accounting for the largest number of thefts.

Sheep, valued at nearly $1.5m, were reported as stolen.

The agency reported the theft of 33 firearms, up until September, compared with 71 for the same time in 2021.

The number of property items stolen from farm locations, up until September 2022, was 2207, compared with 2992 for the same period, in 2021.

The total number of thefts from farm properties, for all categories, was 2207 offences, up until September 2022; that was down from 2292 in 2021.

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"We are tracking okay, we are pretty happy with where we are going at the moment, the main influence for us is what people are telling us, or not telling us," Inspector Hargreaves said.

"If you are not telling us we don't understand the pattern of offending and we don't understand the location of offending."

Inspector Hargreaves said the saleyards visits were about connecting with all sections of the industry.

"We are talking carriers, agents, anybody who has an interest in the sector," he said.

"What we are trying to do is say we are out here, as a Farm Crime Unit, and we are happy to work with everybody - what we want is to get transparency in reporting and work with those people in the sector, to get a better result."

Inspector Hargreaves said interaction with police on incidents and offences at the yards was "interesting".

"What I found is a lot of people may have had some experience of crime, but they are just not telling us," Inspector Hargreaves said.

"But when you are standing there, talking to them, they will tell you about it."

The police were currently targeting firearms offences and the secure storage of guns.

"That's something we are really strong about at the moment - you own it, you are responsible for it and you need to secure firearms well," he said.

Farmers made for an "attentive audience" when it came to talking about firearms - "they take it well," he said.

Inspector Hargreaves said firearm theft ebbed and flowed, but it often involved multiple guns.

"What people shouldn't do is leave firearms on uninhabited properties," he said.

"It makes the opportunity for theft to be higher - store firearms where you live, not those properties that are remote and don't have any form of security."

Inspector Hargreaves said many farmers were asking about general security, in particular the use of CCTV cameras.

"A lot of this stuff can be purchased online, for a lot less than it used to be - our advice is where you can put a couple of dollars towards it, it's going to enhance the security of your farm and help with reporting," he said.

He said there seemed to be more people wanting to use CCTV cameras.

"It's self-managed, it's not through some big security company, they have bought them online, or another outlet, and installed it themselves.

"It makes the chance of us catching someone a whole lot higher."

CCTV cameras also acted as a deterrent, he said.

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