A policing unit dedicated to tackling farm crime will be established, following a year in which livestock worth more than $1.6 million was stolen from rural Victorian properties.
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A team of more than 70 farm crime liaison officers - previously known as agricultural liaison officers (AGLOs) - will be responsible for targeting the rural crime.
They will be part of Victoria Police's new Farm Crime Coordination Unit, along with a dedicated inspector and support staff.
Related: Farm thefts continue to rise
Victoria Police said the unit would monitor farm crime across the state to better identify trends; provide strategies and advice to farming communities; act as a point of contact; and look at mitigating any threats posed by animal activists.
It is understood the farm crime liaison officers will have other policing duties, as they did under the AGLO model, but improved coordination offered by the new unit is expected to lead to better outcomes.
The announcement follow appeals last year from central Victorian farmers for police officers focused purely on rural crime, in the wake of increasing livestock and wool thefts.
The Victorian Farmers Federation also passed a motion last year calling for more funding for police officers to specifically tackle farm crime.
Victoria Police once had a dedicated stock squad, but it was disbanded.
Police Minister Lisa Neville said the new farm crime unit would help centralise Victoria Police's response to rural crime and ensure the continued presence of the agricultural liaison officers.
"We take this type of offending very seriously - the theft of equipment or livestock can have a huge operational impact on our farmers, on top of the financial burden," Ms Neville said.
"It's also critical that we recognise that we need to expand our policing remit when it comes to farm crime," Victoria Police said in a statement.
The state government said the new unit stemmed from a Victoria Police assessment on the AGLO model and responses to farm crime.
In the year to March 2019, 260 livestock thefts were reported across the state and a further 3500 offences involving the theft of items such as firearms, tools, machinery, diesel and trailers were recorded. In 2018 the western policing division saw a 36 per cent increase in livestock theft on the previous year.
But Victoria Police said farm crime and livestock theft were often under-reported.
Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
