Gardaí are urging farmers to put every barrier possible in place on their farms to thwart thieves from stealing farm equipment and diesel or home heating oil.

At this time of year, as the weather gets colder, kerosene thefts start to increase.

“Tanks can be siphoned off. You should put a strong structure, such as steel or blocks, around your tank to limit thieves and put a padlock on it. I’ve seen cases where drills have been used to let diesel out of tanks,” said Limerick inspector Gearóid Thompson.

“Put every barrier possible in place to thwart would-be criminals. Quad bikes are being taken every day of the week. Can you buy an immobiliser for it? It’s small money to spend to ensure it’s not stolen,” he added.

Property marking

“Mark your property with a number that’s unique to you and keep a note of it in case it goes missing,” he said.

Inspector Thompson added that, in his experience, some farmers were opting to put their driver licence number on equipment as it is a number unique to them.

“Take photos of your trailers, quads and the serial numbers on them and store them,” he said. Farmers can upload these photos to store them securely on the Garda Property App and/or the Cairde App which is run by Muintir na Tíre.

He also advised farmers to keep gates on farms closed.

The inspector highlighted that some farmers are leaving their jeep or tractor running while they run into the shop.

“It’s an offence to leave your vehicle unattended with the engine running. Insurers won’t take kindly to that [if it’s stolen]. Thankfully, it’s not a massive problem but it does happen.”

Limerick gardaí is one of a number of divisions which has the use of two property marking machines and will be holding property marking events across the county.

Farmers are encouraged to get in touch with their local garda station to see when their next property marking event will take place.