CASE STUDIES: Gangs using local spotters to target farms, says detective

The use of local “spotters” is widespread among criminal gangs targeting farmyards for valuable equipment and machinery, a specialist detective has said.

And international gangs stealing high-value machinery like tractors often use bank holiday weekends to transport the items to major ports and export them as quickly as possible.

Detective Garda Eugene O’Sullivan, attached to the Stolen Vehicle Unit, was speaking at the launch of the Farm Theft prevention initiative, held by Crimestoppers, the gardaí, the Irish Farmers Association, and DoneDeal.