By Kath Gannaway
Criminals preying on farmers will have more police to answer to if the Liberal Government is elected in November according to State Liberal Member for Eildon Cindy McLeish.
Ms McLeish announced last week that a Liberal Government would establish a new Livestock and Rural Crime Squad to specialise in dealing with rural crime including farm and livestock theft.
“Stock theft is becoming a huge business for criminals and its hurting hard working families on the land,” Ms McLeish said.
“That’s why a Liberal Government will take action on farm and livestock thefts to help protect local businesses.”
The proposed Livestock and Rural Crime Squad would be based throughout regional Victoria with Victoria Police informing the final operational structure of the specialist unit.
Ms McLeish said the program would include the creation of 20 new specialist rural crime investigators, boosting currently dedicated rural crime police numbers by 40 per cent.
She said the 20 new investigation positions would merge with the existing Livestock and Farm Crime Specialist Group and the 48 Agricultural Liaison Officers (AGLOs) to create the new Livestock and Rural Crime Squad.
Ms McLeish claimed stock theft had risen by 40% in 2017 and that between April 2017 and March 2018 there had been 232 instances of ‘Burglary/Break and Enter’ and ‘Theft’ offences recorded where livestock were stolen.
“Just 10 of these crimes resulted in an arrest or summons,” she said.
“A Liberal Government will send a strong message to potential criminals that if they are thinking about farm and livestock theft you will get caught and you will get punished.”
Labor Police Minister Lisa Neville responded, saying “There are already more than 70 specialist Agricultural Liaison Officers who work hand-in-hand with the crime intelligence units to prevent and solve crime.”
