Quad bikes stolen from Pembrokeshire amid warning of a rural crime wave

A ‘worrying’ wave of rural crime is gripping areas such as west Wales, a farming union has warned.

NFU Cymru said it was aware of 20 thefts at farms in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire in recent months.

A Pembrokeshire victim of a quad bike theft – which unions say could be a ‘huge blow’ – said his family were now nervous about being on the farm at night.

Dyfed-Powys police officers said they believed the perpetrators had probably checked farms before striking.

Cases of theft have been reported on social media across the area in Llanwnnen, Crosswell, Milford Haven, Rosebush and the Gwaun Valley.

Mark Davies, a farmer in north Pembrokeshire, had a quad bike stolen from a shed in the early hours of the August bank holiday on Monday.

It was captured on CCTV at around 1:10am BST, with the two thieves wheeling the bike away from his calving shed.

“You could see these people coming in,” he said.

“I was really angry that they had been in the yard and taken something. We as farmers are more dependent on the bicycle than any other piece of machinery you have.”

Mr Davies said the theft had an impact on his family: ‘We have three girls here and everyone is very nervous.

“They don’t really want to go into the garden in the dark. You weren’t sure who would be there and whether anyone was watching you. It certainly had an effect.

“It’s not a nice feeling.

‘I think the offenders know that the law to some extent favors the offender and limits what the police can do. Some parts of the community are a no-go area, according to police.

“Maybe the police know who they are, but it’s very difficult to convict based on the evidence.”

NFU Mutual’s Insurance Company latest figures It is estimated that the cost of rural crime in Britain will increase by 4.3% year-on-year to £52.8 million by 2023.

Theft of quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), reported to NFU Mutual, is estimated to have cost £3.2 million in 2023, a 9% increase on the previous year.

Rural crime in Wales is estimated to have risen by 6.7% last year.

Aled Davies, NFU Cymru’s district adviser for Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, said: “There is a crime wave at the moment, particularly in West Wales.

“We have received reports of fifteen to twenty incidents in recent months. It shows a worrying trend.

‘Historically, organized crime has always been behind this. They steal to order.

“It has enormous financial consequences, but also a mental one. Unless you have a lot of cameras everywhere, you can’t protect every inch of that land.”

He called the quad the modern equivalent of the sheepdog, with their loss potentially being a “huge blow”.

But he said farmers can take simple practical steps to protect themselves, such as locking quad bikes in a shed, purchasing a tracker and installing CCTV.

“Better police presence in rural areas might deter thieves,” he said.

“I would never dismiss the opportunity for an increased police presence in rural areas.”

PC Jonathan Thomas, from Dyfed-Powys Police, said: “It is very concerning. Unfortunately, there has generally been an increase in rural crime across the police area.

“These incidents also occur during dark hours, which is very worrying. It can have a huge impact on the community and also on the confidence of people living in these rural areas.”

PC Thomas believes offenders may have visited the farms to find out the lay of the land before committing thefts.

“We do not know at this time who is responsible, but what I would say is that we believe these responsible individuals are opportunists.

“These are people who have a very good knowledge of these rural areas and the roads and routes to and from these areas. There is a good chance that they have visited these areas before committing the crime.”