A new cash reward to tackle rural crime has been launched in some parts of Northern Ireland today (Friday 26 June).
The independent charity Crimestoppers is offering a reward of £3,500 for information provided directly to the charity “which leads to the arrest and conviction of those responsible”.
According to Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) Inspector Brian St Ledger, Crimestoppers is completely independent of the police and the reward is paid directly by the charity.
“They ensure that everyone who contacts them will remain 100% anonymous – and your details will never be shared with the police,” Inspector St Ledger said.
The theft of valuable agricultural equipment and tools from independent workers and rural businesses can “seriously impact the lives and livelihoods of people in rural communities,” he stressed today.
Inspector St Ledger added: “We hope this cash reward will encourage those with information about recent thefts of tools, quads and other items from agricultural and rural properties and communities to tell Crimestoppers what they know, and that this information will in turn help us identify the criminals responsible.
“This reward will be offered for three months until September 26 and I would urge anyone with knowledge of these rural crimes to contact the charity by calling their 24/7 call center on 0800 555 111 or by visiting their website Crimestoppers-uk.org.”
According to the PSNI, there has been a spate of rural thefts particularly across the police areas of Mid Ulster, Fermanagh, Omagh, Armagh, Banbridge, Craigavon, Newry, Morne and Down recently.
Rural thefts
Latest figures from NFU Mutual show that rural crime cost Northern Ireland around £2.2 million last year.
This represents an annual increase of 24%.
The Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU) has called for stronger intervention from the Department of Justice to combat rising rural crime.
The federation warned that the financial impact of rural crime is “immediate and severe” and is putting already stressed agricultural enterprises under further pressure.
