Bedfordshire farming leader welcomes new police powers on stolen farm equipment but calls for wider crackdown on rural crime

A Bedfordshire farming leader has welcomed new police powers to tackle farm equipment theft but said more needs to be done to reduce rural crime.

The long-awaited Crime and Policing Bill received Royal Assent on Wednesday, April 29 granting police new powers to enter premises without a warrant to recover electronically tracked stolen agricultural equipment.

 With agricultural vehicle thefts reported to insurers NFU Mutual in 2024 costing £7 million, the scale of the problem facing farming businesses is clear.

Time is critical in cases of machinery theft and enabling police to act immediately when the location of stolen equipment is known should improve recovery rates, disrupt organised rural crime and provide farmers and growers with the much-needed confidence that these crimes are being taken seriously.

 While the legislation also gives ministers greater powers to issue statutory guidance to councils in England on the enforcement of fly tipping, it does not go far enough to address the undue burden waste crime places on farmers and growers.

 Private landowners are currently left to bear the cost and responsibility of clearing illegally dumped waste, leaving victims to deal with the financial, emotional and logistical consequences of a crime they did not commit.

NFU Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire Chair Freya Morgan, who farms near Bedford, said: “I welcome news that the Crime and Policing Bill has now become law.

“I often hear about farm equipment theft taking place across Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire and these new police powers will make a positive impact in tackling this issue.

“But much more needs to be done to protect our rural communities.

“Rural crime is a major ongoing concern for farmers across Bedfordshire dealing with fly-tipping and hare coursing among other crimes being carried out by organised criminal gangs.

“These crimes are costing the industry in this region tens of thousands of pounds, damaging the countryside and impacting our ability to deliver national food security.

“The NFU continues to engage with the police, MPs, councillors and other stakeholders to raise these concerns and   work towards giving our rural communities the protection they need.”