"Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine three years ago, police say a black market has opened up for equipment in the region, which has seen production plummet and sanctions imposed on Moscow. Agricultural machinery producers John Deere and Lely also stopped sending goods to Russia shortly after the war began. The shortage in supplies has led some gangs of criminals to target rural regions of the UK, such as Devon and Cornwall, which saw the cost of rural crime rise last year."
"We are seeing organised criminal gangs come into our force area and they are targeting isolated geographic locations, stealing portable assets such as trailers, quad bikes and even tractors, said PC Clarke Orchard, the head of Devon and Cornwall Police's rural affairs team. Invariably that [stolen goods] will be shipped out to eastern Europe. We've got the unfortunate invasion of Ukraine and, with the sanctions imposed over there, there's an obvious demand for machinery and I would suggest that theft may continue to rise."
"Rural crime cost farmers 44.1m last year, according to figures published by NFU Mutual. And although the cost of claims for agricultural vehicle theft fell by more than a third to 7m last year, the cost of tractor thefts rose 17 per cent to 1.5m. The cost of trailer thefts also increased, up 15 per cent to 1.3m. Known as portable assets, PC Orchard said the theft of equipment such as quad bikes from isolated farms was a low-risk offence for the gangs. The goods, he said, could be driven to ports while hidden in shipping containers."
Organised criminal gangs have targeted isolated rural locations in parts of Britain, stealing portable agricultural assets such as trailers, quad bikes and tractors. Stolen machinery is frequently shipped to eastern Europe to meet demand stemming from production drops and sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Major agricultural manufacturers stopped sending equipment to Russia after the war began, reducing legal supply. Rural crime cost farmers 44.1m last year. Insured claims for agricultural vehicle theft fell overall to 7m, while tractor theft costs rose 17% to 1.5m and trailer theft costs increased 15% to 1.3m. Stolen goods are often hidden in shipping containers and moved through ports.
Read at www.independent.co.uk
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