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There’s a variety of things you can do to protect your property, land and livestock.
On this page:
Equipment and tool security | Estate and building security |
Boundaries | Fire prevention |
Illegal occupation | Diesel theft |
Livestock theft | Tack security |
Chemical storage | Electric fences |
Equipment and tool security can be a particular issue for rural businesses and farms.
To keep your belongings safe:
For information on securing your belongings and how to mark your equipment, visit our burglary advice pages.
A good standard of building security is very important in rural areas, especially for outbuildings that may not be visited for weeks at a time.
Farmhouses and other rural properties are the same as any other home, so general home security advice still applies. However, because of the remote location, additional security measures may be beneficial.
You can read our page on church crime prevention.
To protect your rural home or business:
For additional security you could also:
For information and general advice on protecting your property visit our burglary advice pages.
Take a good look around your property boundary for any potential places where it could be made more secure.
Consider:
Electric fences can be an easy target for thieves as they're often in remote locations away from the farm or stable.
Thieves steal them for scrap value, or offer them on second-hand markets without operating instructions.
To protect your fence and energiser, you could:
Stolen energisers are often sold on without instructions or packaging. If you see an item like this, and you're suspicious about how it's become available, please report it online.
All incidents of illegal activity should be reported to the appropriate authority as soon as possible. If you are able to, make a note of any vehicle details and a description of the people involved.
Always consider your own personal safety first before approaching anyone you think might be doing something illegal.
As a landowner it’s your responsibility to protect your land from unauthorised occupation. Making sure your premises and boundaries are secure will greatly reduce the risk of unauthorised occupation.
To help protect your land you could:
If your land does become illegally occupied, you can take proceedings to the county court to obtain a court order for the eviction of illegal occupants. Occupants who fail to comply with this notice by leaving the land as soon as reasonably possible are committing an offence.
For more information about environment crime, such as fly tipping and illegal off-roading read our environment crime page.
Diesel theft is a problem for many farms and rural properties. Fuel tanks stored in rural and isolated locations are very attractive to thieves looking for an easy target.
You should check your livestock and the security of boundary fencing regularly. If they're making more noise than usual this could mean something has disturbed them.
Always report any suspicious activity involving livestock to the police.
The Health and Safety Executive can provide further advice on storage/transportation of fertilisers, particularly ammonium nitrate.
If you think an offence has or is about to be committed, let us know.
Report rural crime online.
If you’re not sure it’s a crime, we’d rather hear from you and decide that ourselves.
Find out what schemes and services are available in you area.