Farmers warned to watch for poachers

These days farmers are being asked by police to be ever vigilant, with farm thefts and stock poaching in rural areas a continuing problem, writes Jacqui Dean (National) in The Southland Times. Farm bikes and four-wheelers have long been a popular choice with criminals and police continue to ask farmers to be careful with security around their properties. Stock poaching and illegal hunting are also becoming an increasing problem in some rural areas and one that is often difficult for farmers and police to monitor. Unlike urban areas where alcohol is behind many of the crimes that are committed, in rural areas it appears that it is the isolation and remoteness that attracts the criminal element. For police, the sheer size of the rural areas that they are expected to cover makes their job extremely difficult. That's why I support a call by Central Otago police to establish a type of neighbourhood watch network in their area as they move to address an increasing problem with poachers. The scheme will cover the Omakau, Alexandra, Cromwell, Tarras and Lindis Pass areas, with the aim of cracking down on what appears to be a growing problem with poachers. I feel for the farmers who are affected by these thefts and I am quite alarmed at reports from police that most rural properties in Central Otago have been subject to poaching within the past 12 months. I fail to see what right poachers think they have to enter private property, waving guns around and helping themselves to the animals and the stock that they come upon.