Police in Blaenau Gwent have joined forces with two farmers’ unions to urge landowners to become members of Farm Watch.
Farms are sometimes targeted by thieves looking to steel fuel, metals, vehicles and farming machinery.
Farm Watch provides a joint approach between farmers, the farming unions and Gwent Police to keep property more secure and to deter offenders. Farm Watch was launched in 2007 in Caerphilly and since then has expanded to cover Caerphilly, Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen and Monmouthshire. The scheme is supported by the Farmers’ Union of Wales and NFU Cymru.
Benefits of Farm Watch membership include:
• Crime Prevention Surveys, which advise on how you can make your property more secure.
• A forum to voice any concerns affecting the farming community through annual Farm Watch meetings.
• Members are provided with contact details for local police officers.
• Access to an online messaging service (OWL) to provide instant crime prevention messages, highlight emerging crime trend, and to circulate details of suspicious people and vehicles.
Superintendent Mark Warrender, of Blaenau Gwent Local Policing Unit, said: “The number of farmers signing up in Blaenau Gwent is increasing, but we’d like to encourage more to come on board and take advantage of some of the crime prevention services we can offer. “Farm Watch is a fantastic partnership service which costs nothing and can significantly help with keeping farmland and property more secure.”
Farmers’ Union of Wales Coordinator Glyn Davies said: “We want to encourage more people to get involved in the Farm Watch Scheme to make it more efficient and workable. “It’s easy to think it won’t happen to you, but farms are targeted by criminals. “I’d strongly advise farmers in Blaenau Gwent to sign up to Farm Watch and help protect their own property, as well as other farmers’ property in the area.”
If you are a local farmer, or landowner, and would like to find out about becoming a member of Farm Watch, please contact either your local ward police officer, or the Farmers’ Union of Wales or National Farmers Union Cymru for more information.
