NSW Farmers: Anger over rural crime

President Derek Schoen told delegate his first 12 months at the helm had been inundated with reports of trespass, property and stock theft, and illegal hunting across the state – an observation that was prompted by a passionate policy debate that took aim at ongoing rural crime issues. 

Hartley and Wagga Wagga branches put forward two crime motions each, with conference delegates agreeing to push for better staffing at rural police stations, increase funding for out-of-hours policing in rural areas, increase police patrols on country roads, and put in place a mandatory $5500 fine for trespass.

Delegates said recent community crime meetings for government’s independent rural crime review had brought farmers out of the woodwork.

“We saw farmers (at our meeting) that we'd never seen at a farmers meeting before,” said Alan Brown, Wagga Wagga. 

“There is insufficient funding is being out into police resources - there is so much rural crime going on - there is so much money being lost.

“We have to call on NSW government to dip into the budget surplus.”

Hugh Webb, Oberon, was one of the most vocal supporters for mandatory penalties for trespass. 

“We had some people at our crime meeting say that pigs don't know boundaries, dogs chasing the pigs don't know boundaries. Well too bad,” he said. 

“Government put a press release out the other day about how they’d lowered crime rates in the state - but that was mainly in Western Sydney and South-West Sydney. 

“Every day someone west of the mountain is talking about something being pinched, stolen, or vandalised.”

Young Farmers vice chair Jo Newton told conference about the group’s meeting with NSW police on Monday. 

Ms Newton said police urged that reporting crime was key to changing the way the issue is addressed. 

Retired Dubbo cop Steve Bradshaw has finished his report into rural crime and has handed it to Cabinet for consideration.