'Tighten home security' plea after Mid and East Antrim rural crime upsurge

Crime prevention officer Paul Black told a meeting of Mid and East Antrim Policing and Community Safety Partnership (PCSP) on Wednesday evening that properties in Glarryford and Clogh outside Ballymena and in the Carnlough area have been targeted.

He highlighted the benefit of signing up to a ‘Farm Watch’ scheme which enables communities to work together by sharing information. It is being delivered by the PCSP in conjunction with the PSNI.

Rural residents can sign up through Mid and East Antrim Borough Council’s website. Participants will receive up-to-the-minute text alerts from the PCSP and PSNI on issues affecting their neighbourhood.

It is aimed at improving communication between the farming community and police by encouraging people to report suspicious incidents as they occur.

“Farm Watch is about trying to get information out there quickly, ” the officer explained. He advised residents to step up home security starting with improved locks and lighting.

He appealed to anyone who witnesses suspicious activity such as cars driving past slowly to pass on this information to police immediately.

Commenting on a recent incident, he said: “In the Glarryford area, information started to come in very quickly. We realised people were seeing the same things.”

He also emphasised that no-one should confront a burglar but should instead contact police immediately.

Chief Inspector Arnie O’Neill reported an increase in rural crime since mid-June and “quite a number” of burglaries, all of which, he noted, remain “under active investigation”.

He went on to say that during follow-up calls when speaking to residents of nearby properties, officers have been told that vehicles and people have been seen acting suspiciously during hours of darkness but these incidents were not reported to police at the time.

Items that have been stolen from isolated properties in the Glarryford, Clogh and Carnlough areas, he said, include farm machinery, trailers, power washers and other “high value” items.

“It is an issue we are responding to. If you do live in a farming or rural area in an isolated property and you have not signed up for Farm Watch, get in touch . It is very useful and very worthwhile.”

Last week, detectives in Ballymena appealed for information following a number of reported burglaries and thefts in the Clogh area.

Detective Sergeant Macaulay said: “Police received a report that sometime between 11pm on Wednesday, 21st September and 8am on Thursday, 22nd September, a grey Toyota Hilux was taken from a property in the Tullykittagh Road area.

“It was then reported that a chainsaw and generator were taken from a shed in the same area at around the same time. There was also damage caused to a second shed.

“Following this, a further report was made of a builder’s trailer and a power washer which had been taken, also from a property in the same area. At this stage, we are investigating a potential link between these incidents.

Michelle Weir, Local Democracy Reporter