The victimisation of farms in Ireland: fear of crime, social isolation and crime prevention

Abstract

This paper explores farmer’s experiences of crime and their attitudes towards crime prevention in one rural hinterland. Farmer’s attitudes about safety and crime present a dichotomy: fear of victimisation was relatively high, yet few participants reported having been victimised, and there was a perception that agricultural crime was high in Ireland but low in their locality. Feelings of insecurity were partly influenced by the closure of rural Garda stations and uneven distribution of information technology. Participants were most concerned with theft of small machinery, violent coercion connected to fraudulent work, illegal dumping and trespassing, rather than thefts of expensive machinery and livestock. Participants reported being unable to afford some crime prevention measures and/or having insufficient time to implement them. The paper concludes by highlighting the relevance of Farrell and Tilley’s (2020) concept of elegant security to farm crime and discussing the role of community policing.

Rural American farmers’ perceptions of crime, safety and policing

“…Although crime rates in rural communities are consistently lower overall compared to urban settings, residents still report safety concerns and fear of victimization. Farmers may be particularly vulnerable to and fearful of crime (Bankston et al, 1987;O'Brien and Windle, 2022). Fear about crime and safety among rural residents and farmers is often connected to "outsiders" or migrant and seasonal workers .…”

“…Farmers may be particularly vulnerable to and fearful of crime (Bankston et al. , 1987; O’Brien and Windle, 2022). Fear about crime and safety among rural residents and farmers is often connected to “outsiders” or migrant and seasonal workers (Ceccato and Abraham, 2022).…”