MORE than $20,000 worth of stock has been reported stolen in the Cootamundra Local Area Command this week alone but it's “virtually impossible” to track down the losses.
Around 100 Merino weaners were stolen from a Jerusalem Creek, Gundagai property some time between July 27 and October 17, in a theft that would require using a truck to transport the stock.
Thirty head of Border Leicester lambs were taken from a Sandy Creek Road, Caragabal property between July 15 and October 16 and nine Angus cattle valued at $4500 disappeared from a Batlow Road, Gilmore property between September 23 and October 18.
Police from across the Cootamundra LAC received hands-on training in stock handling and identification on Tuesday in a bid to boost policing skills for the rural side of policing, where stock theft is a drastically under-reported crime according to Detective Senior Constable Archie French from the LAC’s rural crime unit.
Hindering police efforts to tackle the apparently increasing trend in stock theft is still the lack of reporting the crime, Detective French said, recounting conversations with farmers who lost sheep years ago and didn't report those matters.
While it’s mainly ewes and Merino ewes that are being stolen, crossbred lambs are also proving popular with thieves and some properties have been targeted more than others, particularly those where registered earmarks are not being used.
“There’s not much proactive stuff we can do, if we get a report we might be able to work out a pattern or see what area the pattern’s in ... it gives us an idea of where to go,” Detective French said.
“A lot don’t get reported, I reckon it’s the most underreported crime in the state.
"It’s virtually impossible (to track down culprits and stock), and that’s due to the timeframes and nine times out of 10 we don’t know how they’ve taken them (due to the time lapse covering tracks).
"There’s cases where where we’ve found sold sheep or cattle and gotten them back.”
Officers from the smaller stations in the Cootamundra LAC were taught how to handle stock and what
to look for when identifying stock for police purposes.
From a police perspective, the most crucial identification
measure is the permanent one, Detective French said.
“I always try to educate the farmers in earmarking, having a registered earmark and using that earmark on
stock because it’s easier to identify them,” he explained.
“It seems to be the littler places (that don’t mark), the bigger properties go pretty well with earmarking, tagging and stuff like that.”
NSW Police launched a rural crime initiative, Rural Eyewatch, earlier in the week to help those in rural areas to exchange information on criminal incidents through police Facebook pages.
Anyone with information relating to the stock thefts at Gundagai, Caragabal, Batlow or elsewhere are urged to contact police via CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000.
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