A review into stock theft, rural trespass and illegal hunting across NSW has revealed a “deep sense of anger and frustration” over crime in rural areas as well as despair over perceived police inaction, and inadequate penalties “if indeed the matter gets to the court”.
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The findings outlined in the NSW Stock theft and Trespass Review Final Report also known as the Bradshaw Review, were delivered to the NSW Government in June last year, but were only released to the public last week.
The report’s publication comes as NSW figures show stock theft has continued unabated across the state this year, with 1,717 cattle reported stolen between January and May and 8,095 sheep - more than $2 million worth based on market conditions. Included among the local government areas worst hit by stock thefts to March 2017 were Inverell, Tenterfield and Guyra.
NSW Police Minister Troy Grant, who commissioned the review by former NSW Police Force Assistant Commissioner Steve Bradshaw back in February 2016, responded to the report's 22 recommendations with a range of proposals aimed at strengthening the operational powers of police and the severity of penalties applied by the courts.
Nullamanna grazier Geoff Mather, who lost 20 cattle to thieves in March 2016, said he supported efforts to increase the number of rural stock police: “There is too much area to cover for [officers] to be much use.”
While also in favour of the police minister’s proposal to increase penalties for rural trespass, the cattle farmer of 50 years said he was unaware of any successful prosecutions for trespass, in his area anyway.
Another grazier, who prefers not to be named but who runs several thousand cattle across a number of properties, including around Inverell and Delungra, said he supported a proposal to enable forced musters orders.
Such orders were introduced in Queensland in 2014 where they are used to force neighbours to round up animals belonging to someone else that may have strayed onto their property, as a result of broken fences.
The experience of fences being cut by pig hunters and the theft of fuel, cattle panels and machinery, meant the New England grazier was also in favour of harsher fines for trespass and a strengthening of other rural crime penalties imposed by the courts.
“Even when the police do catch them, the judges let them go,” he said.
