
Rural criminals in Wales 'making up for lost time'
Date of alert:
Sunday 7 August 2022
Crime Ref:
Force:
Wales - North Wales Police
Rural thefts saw a decline in Wales last year – but have started to spiral again in 2022 as the cost of living crisis hits the countryside.
The UK-wide cost fell 9.3 per cent to £40.5m last year, while in Wales rural thefts dropped by 17 per cent decrease to an estimated £1.3m.
In its 2022 Rural Crime Report, initial indications from rural insurer NFU Mutual reveal the first quarter of 2022 has seen thieves making up for time lost to the pandemic, with UK costs over 40 per cent higher than the same period last year.
Claims indications from the end of 2021 and into the first quarter of this year show a rise in the cost of rural crime in both Wales and UK-wide.
Last year, well-organised criminals continued to plague farmyards stealing high-value farm machinery as the UK cost of agricultural vehicle theft reported to NFU Mutual remained at over £9m.
Land Rover Defender owners battled a barrage of crime as the rocketing value of second-hand cars and replacement parts saw thieves stealing the iconic British 4x4 vehicles and stripping them down, with the UK cost of claims shooting up by 87 per cent to £2.6m.


