An ongoing, proactive operation by NSW Police to prevent livestock theft is to be rolled out across the Police’s Southern Region this week.
The police said Operation Stock Check was a high-visibility strategy which allowed officers of all ranks to inspect vehicles carrying livestock to identify and target loads which may have been stolen.
“Livestock theft has a significant impact on farmers across Lake Illawarra, Monaro, Murrumbidgee, Murray River, Riverina, South Coast, Wollongong and The Hume Police Districts, with a total of 406 incidents recorded within these areas in the past three years,” the police said.
“These figures include the theft of approximately 20,354 sheep and 864 cattle, representing a reported value of more than $3.1 million for Southern Region,” it said.
Southern Region Sponsor for Rural Crime, Riverina Police District Commander, Superintendent Bob Noble said livestock theft was a crime which could have a devastating impact on farmers and was taken very seriously.
“This operation will allow police to do everything we can to protect the livelihoods of our farmers, who have enough to deal with without having to worry about criminals stealing their stock,” Supt Noble said.
“Police in Southern Region can now stop any vehicle carrying livestock in order to confirm the origin of the stock being moved,” he said.
Supt Noble said prevention was key and officers would also be interacting with farmers and engaging with members of rural communities to ensure farmers were protecting their stock.
