Ulster Unionist Deputy Leader and Agriculture Spokesperson Diana Armstrong MLA has marked the start of Rural Crime Week NI by warning that Northern Ireland is one of only a handful of regions where rural crime is rising, with losses reaching an estimated £2.2 million last year, a 24% increase, at a time when the UK-wide cost fell by 6%. Diana urged farmers and rural residents to report every incident, warning that under-reporting weakens the case for rural policing resources.

Ahead of Rural Crime Week NI, running from 7 to 11 September, Diana Armstrong MLA said:

“Rural crime cost Northern Ireland an estimated £2.2 million last year, a 24% rise, at a time when the cost across the United Kingdom as a whole fell by 6%. We are one of only a few regions going backwards. That should stop everyone in their tracks.

“Behind those figures are farm families who no longer feel safe in their own yard. The theft of a quad, a tractor or a GPS unit is not an inconvenience. It stops a business dead in the middle of a working week, and the fear it leaves behind lasts far longer than the insurance claim.

“What concerns me most is what we are not seeing. Recorded agricultural crime has been falling while losses rise, and the Ulster Farmers' Union is clear that many incidents never get reported at all. I understand the weariness behind that. When a farmer believes nothing will come of a call, they stop making it. The difficulty is that policing is resourced on the basis of recorded demand, so every unreported crime makes the case for rural policing weaker. My appeal this week is simple. Report it, every time, on 101, or anonymously through Crimestoppers.

“Government has to meet farmers halfway. That means proper resourcing for rural policing, continued cooperation with An Garda Síochána on gangs that move stolen machinery across the border within hours, and a Rural Crime Partnership that delivers more than an annual awareness campaign. Our rural communities do their part. They are entitled to expect the same in return.”