NCJ Number
203972
Date Published
October 2003
Length
6 pages
Annotation
This paper summarizes Australia’s second annual National Farm Crime Survey (NFCS), which was conducted between July 1, 2001, and June 30, 2002.
Abstract
Farm crime has a significant negative impact on the farming industry, and as such the Australian Institute of Criminology is conducting three annual surveys to probe the extent of farm crime within the country. The second survey, which is reported on in this paper, consists of 1,309 face-to-face interviews completed with broadacre and dairy farmers who responded about their experiences with crime during the 2001-2002 year. Results indicate that 13 percent of these farmers experienced criminal activities related to their farm during the survey year. The financial costs of this crime to the farmers totaled $72 million. Livestock theft was the most common type of farm crime, with 6 percent of all farmers experiencing such a theft. Other crimes included general theft (5 percent) and vandalism (3 percent). Most farmers were only victimized once during the survey period, but a pattern emerged concerning which type of crime plagued which type of farm. Large, rural farms experienced more livestock theft while smaller, more easily accessible farms experienced more vandalism. Furthermore, while most farmers were only victimized once during the survey period, 28 percent of these victims had previously been victimized by farm crime. Finally, only half of all farm crimes were reported to the police. Based on the results of this second annual survey, the Australian Institute of Criminology expects to incorporate into the next survey measurements of the effectiveness of crime prevention strategies on farms. Figures, tables, notes, references