Farmers should secure property with iron gates

20/07/2009

Farmers are being advised to fit secure iron gates to the entrance of their property to reduce crime this summer.

Police and the Ulster Farmers' Union (UFU) have joined forces to raise awareness of crime prevention in rural communities, reported Farming Life.

Constable Dean McAuley, a crime prevention officer with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, said criminals are always on the lookout for items they can easily resell, but that iron gates can prevent this.

"For added security, people should consider locking gates, using British Standard shackled padlocks, at yards and on laneways to prevent unauthorised vehicular access," he told the publication.

Other security tips include looking out for suspicious activity, putting any machinery or equipment away and marking all items with the postcode and house number or name.

Cyril Millar, a farmer in Coleraine and a spokesperson for the UFU, added that iron gates between fields should be secured and locked all the time.

Last month farmers in Ballymena, County Antrim were advised to put iron gates on all laneways, the Ballymena Times reported.