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FARMERS HAVE EXPRESSED their concern about ‘spotters’ in rural areas who are watching farms and then selling information to roaming criminal gangs.
The issue was raised by Kildare farmer Liam Dunne, who was the victim of a farmyard theft in June. He said “there’s actually people selling information out there”. He also said he and other farmers in his area were aware of who the local spotters were but that they “can’t be prosecuted for selling information”.
“It’s widespread, not just in farming alone, but in other business as well, like commercial businesses and warehouses as well. People are always on the lookout and are willing to sell on information to somebody else who’s prepared to go ahead and steal whatever is on offer and take a chance,” Detective Garda Eugene O’Sullivan told reporters yesterday.
He said it is, in most cases, the person who handles the stolen property, or the person who is in possession of it, who is prosecuted.
It is difficult, therefore, to secure a prosecution when it comes to a person who has passed on information to these gangs.
“You have to link them to the actual crime itself and it’s the proof, there are a number of proofs that are required for that,” he said.
“They can be interviewed in relation to the investigation part of it, but that may not be enough to prosecute them.”
There are more than 2,000 thefts from farmyards reported each year in Ireland and Liam Dunne spoke yesterday about the impact the theft had on his family.
He described the incident as “quite traumatic”, adding that his family, for weeks afterwards, would wake at night hearing noises out in the yard.
“They should normally have been fast asleep”.
Farmers are being urged to secure and register their vehicles and members of the public are asked only to buy vehicles and machinery from reputable agents.
If anyone has information on suspicious activity or thefts in their area, they can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 1800 25 00 25.
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I wonder who this ‘group’ of spotters might be
I suspect Transit vans are involved
The settled ones!
Hiace
If more people acted conscientiously when offered a “great deal” by these bargain sellers, their markets would dry up.
have a look around markets in places like Clara, and its obvious that lots of the stuff is stolen from farm yards. Farmers don’t just sell hammers, wrenches and top links.
Is it not time for a total crack down on this activity. Recently told by a Garda that unless they could prove the goods in the van were stolen they could do nothing???? Crazy. Law need to be enforced for the white van men to prove ownership. We have gone too far in allowing them manipulate the law. They have been openly selling tools in town markets for years???
The entitled attitude of this group HAS to be challenged
Was browsing the market in Limerick last year, and the amount of power tools for sale with the poor previous owners mark ground off was ridiculous.
‘Tis our culture bosch.
Engrave name, phone no, on every thing ,and in hidden places on tools and machinery ,if a angle grinder has being used on item it says it all.
They buyers know the items are hot already. They have no such qualms. It does make it awkward for the thieves though. Chemical etching is another option.
Unfortunately it appears that it’s not just the white van men mentioned that are spotting but also some of those who call to premises in rural areas either delivering or collecting goods from farms/premises, those selling door to door or those carrying out work in rural areas
You can’t rule out the jealous neighbour who likes nothing better than to see his hard working neighbour brought down a peg or two and better again if there’s a few quid in it.
It’s easier to blame a delivery man for sure but that’s just the easy way out, it’s more likely to be closer to home.
They’re so brazen in my area that they wear t-shirts sponsored by specsavers.
Unless rural crime is brought under control farmers will start shooting first and asking questions later.
We dont want rural Ireland turned into the Wild West do we?
The law protects the criminal. I still remember the terror experienced by Padraig Nally
Is crime a new form of employment, the world over peoples lives are supposedly improving yet crime and serious crime is allowed to continue to rise with no real penalty for dose who commit, where once you are convicted this is your life path chosen you spend your life in and out of jail been allowed to harm and cause pain to the hard working.
Were when you call for help, you get none, but when they do wrong they get the help, this has to end.
I know with social media and other things we do here more. But no government or policing is doing any thing serious about it,
I not 100% up on the that guy in the Philippines but people want this to end. If what doing right why it should be allowed, look at our own justice system if we killing these people the world would say we are killing poor people, from disadvantaged areas etc and its wrong but we know its not.
Put these criminals in prison for longer and it stops them breeding more. It is expensive contraception but it would save a lot of crime in the future.
It’s not urban dwellers who are creating a demand for stolen agricultural equipment. No receivers = no thieves.
It’s well overdue that this is even being mentioned as it is the modus operandi in rural Ireland and many people are quite rightly paranoid about strange people walking around. A bunch of stolen keys fetch a good price I hear too, especially if the owner is known to have other properties in Dublin etc. If some dodgy looking types ask if you know someone in the area, send them over the bog track for acheologists to find in the next century.
SMVIU – keep up the good work
The real culprits in this are the judges who let these gangs out on bail
One excuse for some of them is that they are travellers and have special problems with jail
At lease as judges insist on giving them bail tag them electronically
Minster promised this months ago but no word about this since
That wound a few as real deterrent
have your say