The annual “agri-crime” survey by insurer NFU Mutual shows the cost of rural crime across the country dropped from £52.7m in 2011 to £42.3m last year.
Quad bikes are the most likely item to be stolen in the region while tools and agricultural machinery have also proved popular targets for criminals, according to the new figures.
The statistics, based on claims data made to the firm, suggest the majority of rural crime is planned rather than opportunist, with many high-value items stolen to order by gangs of organised thieves.
Stephen Dew, an NFU Mutual agent in Skipton, said:
“Even though rural crime has fallen, much more still needs to be done to thwart rural criminals and minimise the devastating impact of crime in the countryside.
“We’re starting to see the benefits from communities working hard with the police and wider industry. However, people shouldn’t become complacent; they need to make security a priority on their farms, businesses and homes.”
Despite quad bikes seemingly being a prime target for thieves in Yorkshire, the drop in rural crime nationally was partly attributed to a 17 per cent drop in claim costs for the items, as well as a fall in tractor thefts.
Thefts of garden furniture, ornaments and stone are thought to be on the rise over the last 12 months and NFU Mutual says some thefts could be repeated as the criminals return within weeks to plunder the replacements.
Security measures like CCTV and tracker devices, as well as traditional devices such as locks, are thought to be a more effective deterrent than a greater police presence.
Mark Wilson, a father-of-two who runs the award-winning Playdale Farm Park, in Cayton, near Scarborough, with his wife, has given up owning quad bikes after repeatedly being targeted by burglars.
The two most recent thefts were carried out from the same shed, despite a number of security measures being installed, and cost him around £10,500.
Mr Wilson, 43, said: “The first one we lost, we looked at it almost as a positive thing so we could tighten our act up a bit but when we lost the second two, that was different.
“We did all the straightforward stuff security-wise, we put locks on everything, we have removed a road. That has been a problem because of the level of inconvenience that has been caused.
“We decided in the end that we could no longer have a quad, we were just purchasing it for someone to come and steal it.
“The second time we upped the security and put bigger locks with doors we felt were theft-proof. They were very professional, police believe they froze the lock. They knew what they were doing,”
Rural crime is a particular issue in North Yorkshire, where half of all burglaries and a third of total crimes are committed by travelling criminals from outside the county.
Crime commissioner Julia Mulligan last month announced a £250,000 investment to help officers track and trace more of the vehicles driven by criminals crossing over county borders.
And the police have made a number of arrests since launching Operation Hawk last week in a bid to tackle “cross-border criminals”.
Last week officers detained a 24-year-old man from Bradford on suspicion of stealing a horsebox from a farm in Selby.
Officers were alerted after the horsebox was taken, along with a Renault Kangoo van, from the farm in Stillingfleet. Two quad bikes and a welding machine were also stolen.
The van and the horsebox were spotted on the A64 and followed onto the A1, where a man jumped out and ran off into fields.
He was found nearby and arrested on suspicion of burglary.
Acting Assistant Chief Constable Ken McIntosh, of North Yorkshire Police said: “I encourage our rural communities to buy into Operation Hawk because with their support and local knowledge they can help make this initiative a success.”
(Reproduced from the Yorkshire Post, 5th August)
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