The war in Ukraine could be behind the increase in thefts of GPS units from farm vehicles in a county by Eastern European organised criminal gangs, according to a police and crimes commissioner.
Dan Price, Cheshire Police and Crime commissioner, said that farm equipment thefts in the UK have increased since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. He believes organised gangs are behind this.
Andy Shaw, a farmer from the UK, told BBC that when thieves targeted his farm they didn’t take expensive tools but instead took a GPS unit off one of his tractors.
Cheshire Police said that there was no direct proof that the units were used by Russian forces but it was “possible”.
Six MPs from Cheshire have signed an open letter by Mr Price, calling on the government to improve security on farm equipment.
In 2023, insurance claims for GPS units will increase by 137%.
The units are worth up to PS20,000 and can be used to guide tractors, combine harvesters, and improve accuracy when planting, adding pesticides, and fertilizer.
In a statement released by Mr Price’s office, it was stated that organised criminals have been known to target multiple farms in one night and then plan raids later to steal replacement GPS devices.
Although the police do not have any direct evidence that the Russian military is using these units, Mr Price told BBC North West Tonight that the increase in thefts after the war was “a deeply worrying coincidence”.
“My deep concern is that these units leave the country and are helping the Russian invasion. I know that others are also concerned about this,” said he.
Mr Price has called for the immobilisation of GPS devices and their forensic marking.
Supt Andy Huddleston is the head of the National Rural Crime Unit. He said: “In regards to theft of GPS units, there are evidences that this is being done in eastern European organised crime groups, but there is not direct evidence to show they’re being applied to military applications.”
Mr Shaw, an arable and potato farmer from Aston Grange Farm, Runcorn, said that the thefts affected his farm’s finances beyond the loss of a GPS unit.
He said, “It was an extremely busy time of the year when we should have been out spraying.”
“Everything was delayed, and this has another financial knock-on impact.”
Mr Shaw, who has had his farm burgled three time in the last 10 years, said that a valuable angle grinder powered by a battery was in plain sight of the thieves in the latest incident but was ignored.
“You knew they were not after anything else, they just wanted the GPS,” he said.
Insurance firm NFU Mutual reported that the cost of rural crimes in the UK will rise to PS52.8m by 2023, up from PS50.6m last year.
Cheshire Police made three arrests recently in connection with GPS thefts, but described the problem as complex.
Sgt Rob Simpson said to the BBC: “We have been learning to understand the crime and who is committing it – I am not saying that we’ve gotten it perfect, but we are now on the right track to how we can fight this.”
The police and crime commissioner, as well as MPs, have called on the government to strengthen Equipment Theft Prevention Bill to include GPS devices.
The Home Office announced in a press release that it would introduce “tougher” measures to combat rural crime, including strengthened neighborhood policing as well as “stronger” laws to prevent farm thefts and fly tippers.
It was said: “New legislation will also aim at preventing the theft and resale high-value equipment for use in agricultural settings.”
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