How safe is your farm?

Neighbourhood Watch, RACV and Victoria Police have joined forces to help Victorian farmers identify safety risks on their farms and what they can do to prevent theft on their property.

The latest figures from the Victorian Crime Statistics Agency show more than 2000 offences were committed on Victorian farms in 2022, with theft – including theft of firearms and livestock – accounting for over 60 per cent of crimes.

‘How safe is my farm’ is an online survey, developed by Neighbourhood Watch with help from Victoria Police and supported by the RACV, that asks a series of questions about security and gives users a personalised report on how safe their farm is.

It is an extension of the ‘How safe is my place’ suite of resources launched by RACV and Neighbourhood Watch in 2022, that were created to help Victorians determine how safe their home is from burglary and what they can do to improve overall security and safety.

Dr Alistair Harkness, Co-Director of the Centre for Rural Criminology at the University of New England and one of Australia’s leading experts in rural crime, said farm thefts have enormous social and economic impacts.

“It can be costly, disruptive and mentally straining so the best way to avoid becoming a victim of farm crime is to do whatever possible to prevent offending from happening in the first place,” he said.

“That’s why the innovative ‘How safe is my farm’ tool from Neighbourhood Watch is invaluable. It lets farmers conduct an audit to see where vulnerabilities might exist and to think carefully about what crime prevention measures might be implemented to improve safety and security.

“For farming communities, it is important to keep an eye out for each other, report crime and suspicious behaviour when it does occur, and prevent crime occurring in the first place by implementing measures on farms to deter offending.”

CEO of Neighbourhood Watch Victoria, Bambi Gordon, encourages Victorian farmers to use the online tool and find out how secure their property is. 

“Back in the day, we left doors open and didn’t expect that we could be a victim. Times have changed. But on the upside, we know that theft is often opportunistic,” she said.

“If we can remove the opportunity, we can prevent crime from occurring.”

Victoria Police will be attending the upcoming Wimmera Machinery Field Days to promote the ‘How safe is my farm’ initiative. The field days will be held from March 7 to 9 at Longerenong near Horsham in western Victoria.

Related: 2023 Australian farming field days calendar