From NFU Mutual today, the above data reveal:
Based on NFU Mutual claim statistics, we estimate that rural theft cost the UK £49.5m in 2022, up 22.1% on the previous year. While Scotland saw a decrease, most areas of the UK saw a rise in rural crime costs as thieves returned to the countryside and ramped up their activity after the pandemic years. In Scotland, joint cross-border operations and strong recovery rates of stolen agricultural machinery, helped by increased forensic marking, played a part in reducing crime. Although the baseline figure for Scotland is much lower, the successful fightback against rural crime shows how collaboration and new security measures can help fortify farmyards and homes.
An explanation for some of that reduction is offered:
Spring 2023 has seen a constant stream of reports of cattle and sheep being attacked by dogs. We must continue to focus on ensuring that all dog owners are made aware that Scotland now has robust legislation and penalties in place dealing with livestock attacks. Fines of up to £40,000 and 12-months’ imprisonment in Scotland for such offences, and any successful prosecutions under the new legislation must be more widely publicised to act as a deterrent against irresponsible dog ownership.
Now who might be responsible for that new legislation. It couldn’t be that SNP Government could it?
BBC Scotland doesn’t seem to have noticed this yet.
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
How do we as a population effect change in BBC Scotland’s editorial decisions?
Is it through recourse to Ofcom?
Is it through a mass attack on the BBC’s complaints process?
Or do we go down to Pacific Key, spray the windows with slogans of ‘Tell the Truth’ and ‘BBC Scotland hide Good Scottish News’?
This campaign ( by deliberate ommission) of good Scottish news by BBC Scotland is beyond the pale.
LikeLiked by 3 people
One way would be to organise a mass cancellation of tv licences on one specific date.
Even if someone decides to renew their licence the next day, think of the message that would send out, massive ‘ we will not put up with this anymore ‘ from the people of Scotland.
LikeLiked by 2 people
There is nothing we can do to effect change in how or what the BBC Scotland report, all we can do is expose their every distortion until the majority of the public see them for what they are and ostracise them.
Even were not a single TV licence issued in Scotland, it would go unreported – Even were there to be a march on Pacific Quay objecting to their propaganda observed by foreign correspondents, there would be a diversion to change the focus of the story – That’s how propagandists roll, and the Tories have too much to lose by not funding them…
LikeLiked by 1 person
This is another example of how Scots are inferior. Even our thieves and criminals cannae even steal as well as people in England. That’s why we need thae English Country Lines crooks tae show us how tae rob properly.
LikeLiked by 2 people
The absence of any coverage of the latest NFU Mutual report on rural crime on the BBC News website’s Scotland section is just another example of blatant bias by omission.
The BBC is aware of this annual release of crime statistics. The latest release is being covered at least by BBC NI, BBC Essex , BBC Devon and BBC Shropshire.
More especially, BBC Scotland is aware of these annual data releases: it has reported the NFU Mutual figures in the past.
On 4 August 2020 with this headline: ‘Organised farm gangs cause spike in cost of rural crime’. Here we’re told that NFU Mutual report that ‘The cost of rural crime in Scotland has risen by 44% with organised gangs targeting farm machinery, a report says.’
Further down we’re told: ‘Despite the sharp rise, the cost of rural crime in Scotland remains below the UK average.’
On 11 August 2014, with this headline: ‘Warning for Dumfries and Galloway as report highlights rural crime’.
The article reports that: ‘Police in Dumfries and Galloway have said there can be no let-up in the fight against rural crime across the region. The warning comes despite a new report showing a downturn in value of thefts from farming communities last year.’
At the end of the article that we learn: ‘Figures compiled by insurer NFU Mutual suggested rural crime cost Scotland £1.9m in 2013, compared with £2m the previous year.’
And to give a further indication of the height of the bar set by BBC Scotland for the ‘newsworthiness’ of rural crime, the BBC published this on 5 August 2014 about a farm in Peebles: ‘Police investigation after five sheep stolen from Borders farm’!
You’ll note above that in 2014 BBC Scotland was reporting the cost of rural crime in Scotland in 2013 to be £1.9m. Now recall that NFU Mutual has just reported that the cost in 2022 was just £1.4m!
Is this not remarkable – is this not newsworthy? Surely inflation in the valuation of stolen goods alone should have driven the trend based on current prices in the opposite direction?
Notwithstanding the void in BBC coverage, there seems to be nothing either on the STV website. It’s hard not to draw the conclusion that lack of coverage correlates with a difficulty here in constructing a ‘Scotland bad’ narrative!
LikeLike