Can new law beat the crime craze blighting farms?
If you haven’t heard of dingers, you could be in for a shock. So-called dinger crime is a new internet trend, where quadbikes and off-road motorcycles are stolen before being ridden dangerously to gain hits and likes on social media. Some riders even provoke police with reckless driving and then upload the videos of their taunting to sites such as TikTok. It’s terrifying stuff. One police force alone has received more than 6,000 complaints about dingers; officers are calling it “a plague on society”.
For farmers, as big owners of quadbikes, the dinger craze is a serious worry and the latest assault in the ongoing war against rural crime. Like most farmers, I have come to realise thieves will try to steal anything that moves and quite a lot of things that don’t: power tools, livestock, tractors, trailers, sat nav units and even diesel.
When criminals break into barns and outbuildings, it leaves farmers feeling angry, violated and vulnerable. Farms aren’t just workplaces; they are also homes. In many cases, the farmhouse is next to other farm buildings, so when thieves strike, the feelings of personal invasion are similar to those felt by victims of domestic burglaries.
In summer, the delay in replacing a stolen tractor or a GPS receiver could mean the difference between a successful harvest and one ruined by the rain
But what makes farm thefts doubly devastating is that what is taken is often valuable equipment essential to the running of the business, important in producing the nation’s food, and crucial to the profitability of the farm. In summer, the delay in replacing a stolen tractor or a GPS receiver could mean the difference between a successful harvest and one ruined by the rain.
Protective technology
Thankfully, there is good news: technology and the law are on the side of farmers. On our farm in the Cotswolds, we protect our vehicles with a sophisticated anti-theft security system. Every piece of kit is given a Datatag ‘fingerprint’ with several unique markings, including forensic liquid DNA that is invisible to the thief. Like similar systems on the market, it gives us confidence that any stolen equipment will be recovered and also reduces the cost of insuring it.
Mounting pressure on MPs to do more to help prevent rural crime culminated in the passing of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act in 2023. Under the legislation, the manufacturers of new quadbikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) are obliged to fit immobilisers and forensic markings, while owners will have their details logged on a central database to help the police reunite farmers with their stolen kit.
It’s too early to say if the new act is working, but the idea of putting responsibility for anti-theft measures on to the manufacturers has gone down well across the industry, from farmers to insurance brokers.
The National Farmers’ Union is urging ministers to go further. Its vice president David Exwood says: “We welcomed the passing of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act but urge the Government to pass secondary legislation to widen its scope to include other equipment, such as larger machinery or GPS systems...”
As it stands, the measures in the act may have come just in time. The most recent figures from the insurers NFU Mutual suggest quadbikes and ATVs were the top targets for rural criminals, with reported thefts in 2022 valued at £3m – a 34% increase on the previous year. But will the new act be enough to stop dinger crime? I hope so.
Read more from Adam
Countryfile presenter, Adam Henson, explores a range of issues relating to the countryside and farming, including King Charles III devotion to the British countryside, farmer's responsibility to maintain footpaths and green energy for farms.
