Warning over new trend of tractor thefts as organised gangs move around the country

While the most recent spate has been in East Anglia, there are fears that the trend is set to continue and mark a return of organised tractor thefts from farms.

Police say gangs will move from one region or county to another when an area has been targeted so much that farmers and police up the security and patrols.

Just this week in North Yorkshire, police issued an appeal as detectives started investigating the theft of a free-standing cash machine from outside a service station in Ryedale involving a stolen tractor.

The incident happened at the BP garage off the A64 at Flaxton at around 1.45am on Tuesday. Police say two suspects were reported to have used a blue tractor to remove the ATM away from the forecourt and both the tractor and cash machine were later found abandoned in a nearby field.

NFU Mutual reports that highly-organised thieves using a stolen articulated lorry to haul away expensive tractors and loaders have raided farms in Cambridgeshire, Essex and Hertfordshire and criminals are also stealing tractor GPS kits, which typically cost £10,000.

In the latest raid reported to the insurer, two nearly-new John Deere tractors were stolen from a Cambridgeshire farm, together with a number of GPS kits. Both tractors were recovered within hours at Thurrock motorway services by Essex Police.

Bob Henderson, Technical Engineering Manager at NFU Mutual, said: “We’re concerned that this series of raids could mark a return of organised tractor thefts from our farms.

“We haven’t seen this level of organised raids by tractor thieves for over two years. During the pandemic we saw criminals turn their sights onto smaller, more portable kit but these latest tractor thefts show we need to up our game to keep thieves at bay.

“As the main insurer of the country’s farmers, we know that theft of vital vehicles and the GPS equipment that controls them is incredibly disruptive, causing anxiety and worry for families who live in remote areas."

NFU Mutual has issued a security checklist for farmers with some tips to help prevent theft such as fitting trackers and immobilisers, closing gates at night, improving CCTV and lighting as well as having a local farm watch group or WhatsApp network to keep updated about local rural crime trends and suspicious sightings.

Det Con Chris Piggott, who has headed theNational Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service for the last ten years added: “

“Proactive policing resulted in the quick recovery of the two John Deere tractors recently stolen in Cambridgeshire.

“However, today’s organised criminal gangs have long tentacles, so farms are still at high risk. Gangs also tend to move their illegal activities to a new region when farmers and police increase security and local patrols.

“It’s clear that tractor thieves are now searching workshops and farm offices to find tractor keys and stored GPS equipment so it’s more important than ever to keep them locked away in a separate location to the vehicles.”