The ‘Women on Farms Gathering,’ Port Fairy branch held a Rural Crime and Security Information Night on October 5th at the Union Station Hotel in Woolsthorpe.
Leading Senior Constable Malcolm Agnew (LSC Agnew) explained that while he was based in Warrnambool – the Warrnambool Police station has two levels – operating as both a local police station and also as a headquarters for the region – LSC Agnew’s jurisdiction crosses the five local shires.
Part of LSC Agnew’s role is to advise on security and theft protection and he is willing to discuss this matter on your farm and make some recommendations on improving your security.
“Sometimes people don’t see the most obvious signs and it’s always good to have another set of eyes, to help you avoid theft and property break in. We are willing to work with you to help improve crime prevention on your farm. So, please feel free to get in contact if we can help with this or any firearm queries.”
“There have been 12 incidents in Woolsthorpe so far this year, Caramut has 14, Mortlake 56 and Koroit 60 – they are just some figures to give you an idea - there are things going on in the area all the time.”
“As far as your property is concerned – you need to make it as least attractive to thieves as possible. When you think of ‘rural’ don’t misunderstand – you can be here in Woolsthorpe for lunch and in Melbourne for tea – so we need to vigilant.”
Bright yellow ‘Private Property’ signs were made available to those attending – and LSC Agnew explained that to see one of these signs displayed at your gate makes people aware that you are security conscious, and has would-be thieves thinking twice about entering.
“Crime Stoppers is one of the most successful police programs ever – the reason for that is because it’s anonymous. So, if you see something that you think is suspicious or just doesn’t feel right – then give crime stoppers a call – it may lead to something but the worst-case scenario is that it leads to nothing – and there is no harm done. That little piece of information that you give could be crucial – keep an eye on registration numbers on vehicles – you are the eyes and ears of the community – there are only so many of us, but there are many more of you, and we need your help to protect the community.”
Crime in rural areas often goes undetected for some time because farmers often don’t notice stock are missing until they get them into stock yards – when they notice the numbers aren’t there – or the workshop has been burgled and items aren’t noticed as missing until you go to use them.
One of the best ways of keeping track of your workshop supplies is to record the contents of your workshops/sheds etc on your phone – to take a video of the contents, and make a running commentary as you go. This video can be sent to someone you trust, or even to your insurance agent. It is also recommended that items are tagged with your driver’s licence number – because police can identify the number quickly, and track the items back to the owner.
“Don’t make it easy for thieves – lock your shed if possible. Don’t leave keys in vehicles. Don’t leave your back door open and don’t advertise on Facebook that you are away on holiday – post your photos when you get home. Convenience and security are not friends! Lock your fuel bowsers – it may not be convenient, but fuel is expensive. A lot of theft is opportunistic – if you leave a container of drench lying around – then it can be easily picked up and removed and it’s not cheap. That goes for other farming materials too.”
“Dogs – make sure you get them chipped. Believe it or not – good dogs are expensive and ownership can be hard to identify without a registered chip.”
“If you have security cameras – it’s good to advertise you have them – it’s a deterrent. Overall, think about your security and how easy it is to access your property, and how secure are your belongings? Don’t make it easy for thieves.”
Leading Senior Constable Graeme Cox is the firearms officer – he covers deceased estates, firearms licences and expired licences, firearms storage and random inspections. It is a legal requirement to allow the firearms officer or police officer, to inspect your guns and storage. LSC Cox covers the entire Western Region – covering around 9,500 gun licence holders and 46,000 firearms. There are hundreds of thousands of firearms in Victoria. Your firearms must be registered.
“Most of the people I deal with are law abiding citizens. With random inspections – I am there to make sure that the firearms match my paperwork and that the firearms are being stored legally.”
Are your gun storage details up-to-date? This can be done over the firearms registry website. LSC Cox stressed that there is ‘no national registry’ at this point of time – so, if you move interstate then your gun storage address details need to be up-dated. Currently, LSC Cox has 57 expired firearms licence holders to track down, and if those licences are still required, then they will need to complete the entire gun licence holder program from scratch.
With deceased estates – when a firearm owner dies, legislation states that there is a 6 month period to get firearms registered to the new owner or handed in to a gun dealer. Firearms Licencing Victoria are always monitoring for registered deaths of gun owners to clarify the whereabouts of the guns.
Firearms must be stored in a gun-safe, made with a minimum of 1.6mm steel, and secured to the floor and wall. It is recommended that they are stored in a shed, garage or workshop. It is not recommended that they are stored on properties that are unattended or isolated.
Chris Snell of George Taylor Stores displayed various size firearm safes that meet storage regulations.
Tom Cooper of Tom Cooper Electrical provided information on the large range security cameras available, and how they can offer security to both homes and farming businesses.
The night was hailed a success by those who attended, which was evidenced by the large number of questions posed to the speakers.
