On Farm Security a Constant Battle

A major fuel theft in North Otago this week drives home the point that it is impossible to rest as a farmer when it comes to on-farm security, says Federated Farmers Rural Security spokesperson Miles Anderson.

A property in Enfield, west of Oamaru, had fuel taken from a one 1000-litre and one 400-litre petrol tank emptied this week.

Miles says while details around the theft are yet to be made public the incident highlights the need for people to be security focused when installing items such as fuel tanks.

"You’ve got to put them in high use parts of your farm where people could notice any suspicious activities including visits from unknown people and vehicles.

"Also people have to check their fuel levels regularly. Sometimes fuel thefts aren’t noticed until a certain employee has left and it becomes clear that fuel use has gone down."

Fuel prices are going up and when fuel is expensive people steal it, Miles said.

A 2016 Federated Farmers crime survey of 1012 respondents showed that 25% of participants had been victims of fuel thefts - the third highest crime reported.

Other tips to keep fuel secure include: ensuring fuel tanks are secured and locked; install security lighting that lights up fuel tanks and fueling areas; keep an inventory of fuel consumption so any thefts can be identified quickly, take note of suspicious vehicles and activities in rural areas and install fuel tank locking devices on all petrol and diesel tanks on your property.

Thefts must be reported to the police, says Miles.

"If they’re not reported they’re not recorded and police will not allocate resources to rural communities. "

ENDS

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