Anglesey farmers urged to join anti-crime drive
Police are urging farmers in Anglesey to sign up to a new scheme to help tackle farm crime on the island.
The Online Watch Link (OWL) scheme allows farmers to receive warnings when thieves are active in their area.
In recent weeks, quad bikes, tools and fuel have been stolen on the island.
NFU Cymru and North Wales Police hope to create a network of local farms in the community to help prevent and detect crime and provide instant support and information about what is going on in the immediate area.
“It’s all about local farmers communicating with each other and with the police to report suspicious activity in their area. The scheme has proved successful in other areas,” said Christine Jones, NFU Cymru Anglesey county chairwoman.
The launch of the scheme follows a meeting between police and farmers on Thursday (6 December) to discuss rural crime in Anglesey.
Gethin Jones, acting inspector at Llangefni Police, said: “Overall crime in Anglesey is down by 19% since 2011, with none-domestic burglary down by 46%.”
Insp Jones concluded that the meeting was a success, with new members joining the scheme, increasing the potential to share information.
But last year the cost of crime rose 30% to £2.3m, compared to £1.7m in 2010, according to rural insurer NFU Mutual.
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