Half of those who have suffered from retail crime say they had been hit more than three times within that period.聽
Of those surveyed, NFU Mutual reports that almost three quarters believe crime has increased over the past 12 months.
鈥淪adly, this latest report on rural crime comes as no surprise,鈥� said NFU Vice President Rachel Hallos in response to the new figures.
鈥�We also urge the government to create a cross-departmental rural crime task force and adopt stronger legislation.鈥�
NFU Vice President Rachel Hallos
鈥淔arming families and rural businesses are feeling increasingly vulnerable and unsupported as rural crime continues to rise, on top of significant financial losses from the theft of essential farm equipment and the damage caused to local businesses, such as farm shops,鈥� Rachel added.
鈥榊ou feel vulnerable鈥�
Will Lacey, who helps manage and run Laceys Farm Shop in Buckinghamshire, described what happened when, in April last year, the farm shop was broken into overnight by thieves, smashing windows, stealing the cash drawers, and damaging CCTV, tills and computers.
He said: 鈥淭hey knew what they were doing. They went in, smashed the window and got what they wanted. They knew what they were looking for, they had a plan and did it very quickly and precisely.
鈥淚t left us feeling extremely frustrated and you feel vulnerable as it鈥檚 all on your land, your home and your livelihood. The yard is locked, the shop is locked, and security was in place 鈥� there was not much more we could do so it鈥檚 incredibly frustrating.鈥�
Will said the family has since upgraded the CCTV system, have alarms in place and have changed their gateway entrance. NFU Mutual鈥檚 research found that 53% of those working in rural retail have taken security measures to protect themselves in the past 12 months.
Stronger legislation needed
Head of commercial at NFU Mutual Zoe Knight urged farm shop owners to stay vigilant.
鈥淲e have seen businesses make huge efforts to feel protected from crime, with both technological and physical security put in place 鈥� while we work closely with our risk management specialists to try and reduce the threat of other shops becoming victims.
鈥淔arm shops have sadly been targeted in the past due to their remote locations, so it鈥檚 vital owners take all necessary and appropriate preventative steps to try and deter thieves.鈥�
鈥淚t left us feeling extremely frustrated and you feel vulnerable as it鈥檚 all on your land, your home and your livelihood.鈥�
Will Lacey of Laceys Farm Shop
NFU Vice President Rachel Hallos said the NFU has long called for dedicated rural crime teams in every police force and fair funding for rural policing.
鈥淲e also urge the government to create a cross-departmental rural crime task force and adopt stronger legislation to tackle theft and other crimes in rural areas,鈥� she added.
鈥淭he government must recognise the severe impact of crime on rural communities and act now to ensure those who live and work in our rural areas are given the protection and support they need.鈥�
Advice for retailers
NFU Mutual's Risk Management Service has issued the following advice for retailers to protect against shoplifting and break-ins:
- Use customer service as a tool to deter thieves 鈥� greeting them lets them know they have been acknowledged and may deter them as they have been identified.
- Make sure store layouts are organised and tidy, placing items that are high-value or which are more desirable to thieves in monitorable areas. Consider adding mirrors to the store to reduce blind spots.
- If possible, limit the number of high value items on display and secure remaining stock within a robust, lockable area.
- Train staff to recognise shoplifting tactics and ensure they know how to keep themselves safe from the risk of violence.
- Consider displaying signage in-store notifying thieves that they will be prosecuted.
- Try to minimise cash takings and use counter caches to deposit cash during opening hours. Install a good quality compliant safe which is fixed in place and preferably kept in an alarm protected area.
- Ensure all doors and windows have good quality locks (to BS3621) which cannot be opened from the outside or from the inside without the use of a key.
- Always keep keys to doors, windows, and safes, in a secure location. Always remove them from your premises outside of business hours and limit their distribution among managers or staff.
- Consider investing in good shutters, grilles and bars on doors and windows.
- If investing in an intruder alarm, ensure it is installed by an NSI or SSAIB approved company, compliant to EN1350-1 and provides remote signalling to an alarm receiving centre.
- If investing in surveillance (CCTV) ensure it provides good quality images, is recorded to the cloud with links to mobiles and/or remote monitoring, and meets requirements of GDPR.
- Be aware of cyber threats and make sure you have cyber insurance in place should the worst happen.
- Consider hiring data protection specialists to provide ongoing security of your data.
- Have a robust policy in place for responding to intruder alarm activations 鈥� i.e. don't let a keyholder turn up on their own.
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