The University of New England survey of NSW farmers in the past year shows 80.8 per cent of respondents reported being a victim of some type of farm crime.
About 77 per cent of that group — or 62 per cent of all farmers — reported being victims of multiple crimes, with a significant minority experiencing crime more than seven times.
The data was released as NSW authorities launched a new campaign to ‘draw the line on regional crime’, which calls for the whole community to adopt better prevention strategies.
Crime Stoppers NSW chief executive officer Peter Price said a lot of rural crime was still going unreported.
“Without this information, we can't plan properly,” he said.
“We need to plan, to increase police resources right across the state but unless we get the intelligence, we just can't do that.
“You can't just go and build a new police station in a regional area without knowing that it is actually servicing the community.”
One under-reported area was stock theft, which cost NSW an estimated $22.5 million in stolen sheep and cattle between 2015 and 2020.
But when considering the value of stud stock, loss of animal by-products and future breeding potential, the real cost could be triple that, Acting Assistant Commissioner Brett Greentree said
“Crimes in regional areas . . . affect everybody in our state and certainly within the nation,” the senior police officer said.
“Australia relies on farmers and the farming industry.”
Firearm theft also remains a "massive concern" for the state and must be reported immediately, Asst Comm Greentree said.
He urged people to report anything suspicious, even matters based on a "gut feeling".
“Any piece of information, no matter how small, just may prove the missing link in a major investigation.”
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