NCJ Number
197160
Date Published
August 2002
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This report presents the major results from the first national farm crime survey in Australia.
Abstract
Discussing the type and extent of property crime committed on Australian farms, this paper discusses the major results from the first national farm crime survey. Commissioned by the Australian Institute of Criminology, this survey collected data on Australian farm crimes from July 2000 to June 2001. After stating that 27 percent of Australia’s dairy or broadacre farms experienced some type of property crime during the time period of the survey, the author explains that the majority of crime comprised unauthorized fishing or hunting, trespassing, and livestock theft. Many farmers surveyed did not consider farm property crime a serious threat and only 36 percent of victimized farms reported the last criminal incident to area police. When farmers reported crime incidents, it was most often for the theft of farm vehicles, machinery, tools, spare parts, materials, or produce. A series of bar graphs presents the number of victims per 100 farms, the percentage of crimes reported, and the reasons for farm crime reporting and failure to report farm crimes. Assessing the total loss to victims due to farm crime at $63,000,000 during the survey period, the author suggests that this averages to $2,690 per victimized farm. This article concludes suggesting that it is possible that many farm crimes go unreported because farmers may not be fully aware that a crime has occurred, with others fearing a lack of proof that a crime has been committed. References