Researchers at Technological University Dublin (TU Dublin) studying farm-based crime have found that more than half of the 1,333 farmers surveyed had been victims of theft.
29 per cent of participants did not report their experience of theft to An Garda Síochána, compared with 19 per cent in national victim surveys.
In the TU Dublin survey, the primary reasons given for not reporting were based on a belief that the incident was not serious enough; that the police would do nothing about it; and that there was insufficient evidence to warrant police action.
Speaking about the survey, which was the result of a collaboration between the university and the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA), researcher Dr Matt Bowden said: “While there has been much attention to issues of rural crime in recent years, we have very little systematic data.
“This research highlights the Irish farming community’s experience of crime and victimisation, and their perceptions of crime prevention, and helps us to better understand crimes committed against farms and the measures farmers take to prevent their victimisation”.
