The cost of tractor and quad bike thefts in Scotland has fallen by 48% in the past three years, recently released figures show.

The figures published by NFU Mutual, which insures more than 75% of farmers across the UK, show the decline in the cost of agricultural vehicle thefts across Scotland from 2014 to 2017, is in contrast to NFU Mutual’s latest claim statistics for the whole of the UK – which reveal that the cost of rural theft increased by 13.4% in 2017.

This decline in Scotland coincides with the introduction of the Scotland Partnership Against Rural Crime (SPARC) initiative which is a joint venture incorporating various partners including NFU Mutual and Police Scotland.

The SPARC intiative was launched in 2015 and – with funding of more than £135,000 provided by NFU Mutual – Police Scotland have been able to provide training for officers and support for vehicle and livestock theft detection operations. They have also set up new schemes to prevent livestock worrying.

Commenting on the latest statistics, chair of SPARC, chief superintendent John McKenzie said: “These results are very encouraging and show how effective a security initiative which encompasses the whole of rural Scotland can be.”

NFU Mutual regional manager for Scotland, Martin Malone, also welcomed the figures but emphasised “there is no room for complacency”.

Martin added: “A new breed of brazen and determined rural thieves are at large, determined to steal vehicles and tools so it is important to be alert, report suspicious sightings to neighbours and police and to ensure good security measures are in place.”

Cost of Scotland’s rural crime – 2016

According to NFU Mutual’s annual Rural Crime Report last year, rural crime cost Scotland £1.6m in 2016 – which was a decline of over 32% from £2.4m in 2015.

During 2016, the most commonly targeted items targeted by thieves in Scotland were all terrain vehicles (ATVs), quad bikes, livestock and tools.

The total cost of rural crime across the UK in 2016 was £39.2m, with costs falling by more than 4% on the previous year.