The NSW Police Force announced the proposed establishment of rural crime prevention teams as one of many new operational reforms aimed to bolster and improve responses to rural crime on Monday.
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Mid North Coast Rural Crime Investigator, Detective Senior Constable Reilly is hopeful additional Rural Crime Investigators will be stationed in the local area to contribute to the crackdown on rural crime.
“From a local perspective, we can hope that more Rural Crime Investigators will be allocated to this area, and if so, these extra investigators will assist in the investigation and prevention of incidents of rural crime, such as illegal hunting which has become more prevalent in recent times,” Detective Senior Constable Reilly said.
“Sadly there are a number of persons who have total disregard for the farmer and their livestock when they engage in illegal hunting by trespassing onto rural properties and driving their vehicles through boundary fences. This not only costs the producer money to fix the fence but also loss of stock."
The rural crime prevention teams will aim to provide support where it’s needed most and introduce a better structure for investigators to perform their duties.
More specifically trained officers will be clustered in regional centres to respond quickly and efficiently to rural crime as part of the re-engineering process.
The proposed changes to legislation currently before the NSW Parliament will complement the work of officers and see tougher penalties for criminals.
Paul Lawrence manages a breeding operation on Comara Station, on the border of the Kempsey Shire, and he can attest to the importance of rural crime prevention teams as he has been subjected to ongoing incidents of malicious damage which he said included smashed gates and water pumps being sabotaged.
“Collectively, costs to fix and replace the damage items are in the thousands, submission of insurance claims makes the premiums go up, “ Mr Lawrence said.
Comara Station is approximately 17,000 acres and has river frontage of the Macleay River.
Mr Lawrence has now installed alarms, security cameras at various points around Comara Station and monitors the cameras remotely.
“The damage is senseless, but trying to figure out what motivates these offenders drives you mad, we have taken some action ourselves by installing cameras and alarm. If my alarm or camera activation goes off I’m able to drive here before they get off the property and hopefully have some evidence to give to police of a number plate or images from cameras,” he said.
Mr Lawrence claimed his past experiences when reporting rural crimes had left him “frustrated” and with a “feeling of worthlessness”.
However, he will feel more inclined to report incidents under the proposed operational reforms.
“I have felt previous Rural Crime Investigators we have had, have not had their support of superiors, perhaps their hands tied by budget short falls or staff shortages to fulfil roles,” Mr Lawrence said.
“The establishment of the rural crime preventive teams is a step in the right direction and probably long overdue. The teams will be a big help towards property management and security.”
Detective Senior Constable Reilly was a butcher prior to joining the police force and has seen first hand how rural crime has impacted farmers and their respective businesses.
Detective Senior Constable Reilly said the establishment of rural crime prevention teams will encourage the reporting of rural crimes.
“I know we as an organisation continue to encourage victims of rural crime to be vigilant and report incidents of crime or suspicious activity when they occur, no matter how trivial,” Detective Senior Constable Reilly said.
“The rural community need to be strong and have zero tolerance for rural crime, whether it be drug dealers planting cannabis crops on rural properties to the theft of cattle and machinery.
“Most importantly I want farmers to secure their firearms. Drugs destroy lives and small communities. Stolen firearms eventually fall into the hands of organised criminals and are used in other serious crimes such as armed robberies and murders."
Stock, diesel and machinery theft are the most targeted rural crime however other investigations also include firearms offences, arson, fraud and animal cruelty issues.
Perpetrators of rural crime range from opportunistic neighbours or passers-by and illegal hunters to organised criminals planting Cannabis crops or stealing large quantities of oysters.
Detective Senior Constable Reilly undertook the rural crime investigators course in Goulburn last week.
"The course was challenging and fun at the same time. It provided me tools to assist in combating incidents of rural crime,” Detective Senior Constable Reilly said.
Mid North Coast Local Area Command are dedicated to rural crime, if you want to contact your Mid North Coast Rural Crime Investigator officer please email mncruralcrime@police.nsw.gov.au or ph: 6561 6199
