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rural crimes, rural crime, smash and grab, smash and grab burglary, bank, atm, Smash and grab, ATM theft, Farm Machinery, Farm machinery theft

Rural Crime: Why is it Increasing?

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In a recent BBC show, it has been reported that crimes in rural areas is at a 7-year high – costing the UK economy £50million a year.

One rural crime that has seen an increase in ATM’s (cash point) being torn out by stolen farm machinery. These ‘Smash and Grabs’ of ATM machines have seen businesses and banks become heavily damaged – making banks reluctant to replace stolen ATM’s or reopen their rural branches.

Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire has been one of the hardest-hit rural communities in the UK for smash and grabs on ATM machines, with the village seeing two of it’s ATM’s be ripped out by stolen farm machinery and never replaced.

In Britain, there were 1,000 smash and grabs involving cash points in 2018, with half happening in the countryside.  Rural communities such as Great Shelford rely on physical cash transactions rather than using card and these attacks on ATM’s have seen local shops see fewer customers and many businesses having to compensate with having to pay bank charges for card transactions.

But why are ATM raids on the rise?

Although there is a higher risk with stealing heavy farm machinery and tearing out ATM’s out of banks, there is a higher reward with some ATM’s storing up to £100,000 in cash. Many rural ATM’s will have larger sums of cash compared to ones in the city because they are refilled less often.

Another reason why ATM raids are on the rise is that police response times are double what they are in towns or cities, allowing criminals more time to steal an ATM machine.

To some, smash and grabs on ATM’s may look opportunistic but they are very sophisticated crimes. With criminals researching, looking for farms close by and looking for heavy machinery big enough to rip out ATM’s.

As mentioned before farm machinery are often used for smash and grabs and stolen farm machinery is on the rise. Last year, farm machinery thefts cost farmers nearly £7.5million with many having to pay to replace them.

Although the police are taking measures and are working with local farmers to ensure that they are taking precautions to prevent the theft of vehicles. However, due to their nature farmers can’t close gates to their farms as they operate 24hrs.

Police in Norfolk have seen trends in these smash and grab crimes with Telehandlers being used to rip out ATM’s from banks and many of the crimes being committed by people living in rural communities and have experience operating farm machinery.

So, what measures can you take to prevent the theft of farm machinery?

  • Remove keys from vehicles if they are not in use: Although farms operate 24/7 it is important that any farm machinery that is not in use has its keys removed and is securely looked up day or night.
  • CCTV: Although it is a basic security measure having CCTV cameras located in areas where machinery is kept can provide a better visual on them and can be monitored 24/7. If machinery is stolen, the CCTV footage can be used to find out who the perpetrator is and use it for evidence in a court of law.
  • Security Lighting: Having security lighting in conjunction with CCTV is a very good security combo. Having security lighting that are censored can be an effective deterrent to criminals as if they attempt to approach your farm or vehicle, they will light up the trespasser making them feel caught.

If your farm or business is in need of extra security services, then get in touch with A&R Security Services. We can provide comprehensive security solutions to businesses across South Wales and the South West. To find out more call us on 01656 713950 or visit our website for further details.

Burglaries, Swansea, Cardiff, Newport, RCT, Bridgend, Security, Commercial Security, A&R Security Services

3 most common types of commercial burglaries in Swansea

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According to recent reports and statistics from Police.uk there were 1,231 burglaries reported in Swansea between August 2018 and July 2019.

Combined with data from You.gov – which shows that burglaries cost small businesses on average £2K and the UK economy over £1.8bn – clearly showing that burglaries present a threat to businesses in Swansea.

In order for business owners to protect their business, staff and assets, it’s important for business owners to understand what they are up against. Knowing what they are up against allows business owners to implement necessary security procedures that will protect their business.

There are three types of commercial burglaries. Here we’ll outline what they are as well as give you tips on how to avoid becoming a target.

Opportunistic Burglaries

These types of burglaries are often carried out on a whim. For example, a potential criminal may notice an open window or door that has been left unlocked. By taking advantage of these lapses in security, an opportunistic burglar will enter your property and steal as much as they can in a short amount of time.

Most of the time, opportunistic burglars will make little to no effort to conceal their presence and avoid detection by alarms or CCTV, and will often enter your property quickly, grab whatever they see and then leave.

Opportunistic burglars are the easiest to prevent. However, within the last year, only 5% of burglaries in the UK were solved by police, indicating that even opportunistic burglars aren’t successful.

In order to prevent opportunistic burglaries:

·         Ensure that doors and windows are closed and locked whenever your premises is unoccupied.

·         Close blinds to ensure burglars can’t see into your property.

·         Lock valuables and important documents in secure lock draws or cabinets

·         Don’t leave cash on your property (if it is un-avoidable keep it in a secure safe)

 

Smash and grab burglaries

Smash and grab burglaries involve criminals using heavy objects to smash windows and gain entry into a property. Occasionally stolen vehicles or heavy machinery are used to ram into shop fronts and help thieves make a quick getaway.

Crimes involving vehicles being used to ram into buildings is often known as ‘Ram Raiding’ and are especially dangerous to the public, to your staff and can be expensive to recover from.

Whether smash and grab burglars use a vehicle or not – Smash and grabs can often occur day or night, usually targeting the front of the building and are often over with within a minute.

To protect yourself from Smash and grabs:

·         Use metal shutters to protect the front of your business.

·         Ensure to use high-density glass on windows and doors throughout the property

·         Position visible CCTV cameras so that you always have a clear view of any large windows or doors.

·         Station security guards at the front of your business.

 

Sophisticated Burglaries

Unlike Opportunistic or smash and grab burglaries, sophisticated burglaries are often undertaken by criminals who observe to minimise their chances of being caught, as well as maximising the amount of time they can spend within your property.

Any criminal looking to undertake a sophisticated burglary will observe you and your staff and spot vulnerable security points that can later be exploited. For example, if your building is unoccupied either overnight or for a couple of days, they may choose these times to act. They may also approach employees in order to get insider information about your alarm system and how it can be deactivated. Alternatively, they purposely set your alarm system off numerous times to stop security guards and police responding to your property’s alarm system (thinking there is a fault).

To avoid becoming a victim here are some tips to help:

·         Hire mobile security guards to patrol the exterior and interior of your property at unscheduled times.

·         Ensure your staff do not give out codes or security information – regularly change your alarm codes.

·         Respond to all alarm soundings – no matter if it is a fault with the system or a purposeful activation

·         Hire manned security to guard your property overnight and over weekends

·         Monitor CCTV footage to see if anyone is spending time outside observing your property for long periods of time or approaching employees.

A&R Security Services provides professional security services in Swansea including manned guarding, mobile security, alarm installation and monitoring, and secure key holding services. If you would like to know more about our services call us on 01656 713950 or visit our website for more details.