By New technology to combat rural theft
A new initiative to prevent sheep theft and assist in prosecutions has been launched in rural North Lincolnshire.
Led by Heritage and Rural Crime officers PC Lawrence Grant and PC Jane Proud, the programme has been designed to prevent local farmers from becoming victims of crime.
Each ‘lambing season’ opportunistic thieves set their sights on stealing sheep mothers or young lambs for their own gain.
This lead to the discovery of what was believed to be an illegal slaughterhouse inside a residential property in Scunthorpe in April 2020.
Investigators were unable to prosecute any of the four suspects as it could not be identified if or from where the sheep had been stolen.
The local patrol and neighbourhood teams increased preventative patrols and visibility in the more rural areas of North Lincolnshire but have been looking for more solutions to help in preventing these thefts.
PC Lawrence Grant said: “We have secured funding through the Community Safety Partnership to roll out two new technologies across farms in North Lincolnshire which will be big steps forward in methods used to tackle rural crime.”
TecTRACER livestock tracing system used by sheep farmers to protect their flocks against and was the winner of the Sheep Innovator of the Year category at the British Farming Awards 2020.
“We have worked closely with TecTRACER, the company that provides the forensic sheep markings products, who have accompanied officers during the installation visits to ensure the farmers have access to the best advice on how to use to protect their sheep,” added PC Grant.
“Whilst it may not prevent thefts completely, it massively increases the chances of recovering the sheep. Plus, it helps build strong cases against offenders, with evidence that would prove difficult for these criminals to refute at court.”
The second initiative is a tracking harness which sits on the sheep’s back.
Should the initiatives prove successful, there is an option to roll them out in other areas, such as the East Riding.
John Minary, Managing Director of TecTRACER, provided more information about the product and how it works: “The system utilises a unique forensic marking system that ingrains thousands of coded and electronic markers into a sheep’s fleece, allowing them to be easily identified using simple microscopes and scanners.
“The forensically coded microdots and transponders are virtually impossible to remove should the sheep be stolen, and these provide irrefutable evidence of ownership of the animals.
“TecTRACER creates an extremely strong-lasting deterrent against theft and raises the risk of arrest.”
Whilst this technology is beginning to be rolled out to many farmers in the area already, anyone who has not yet heard about it and wishes to register their interest can do so by emailing here.
If you see something suspicious that may be linked to the theft of sheep or any other rural crime please call the police on the non-emergency 101 number, or 999 in an emergency if a crime is in progress.
