Stock checks could soon be as common as random breath tests as NSW Police tighten their focus on stock theft.
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Operation Stock Check was launched earlier in the month. It aims to interrupt and prevent stock theft across the Mid-Western Police District and beyond.
In the four years since 2015, about $18 million worth of stock has been stolen in NSW. About 10,000 cattle and 88,000 sheep have been stolen in that time.
In the first six months of this year alone, 8600 sheep and 730 cattle were reported as stolen.
NSW Police Minister David Elliott and rural crime coordinator Detective Inspector Cameron Whiteside were in Dubbo on Tuesday to discuss the progress of the operation.
Detective Inspector Whiteside said historically, rural crime was only reported to the police 50 per cent of the time. But he wants to see anyone who sees suspicious behaviour, such as loading stock onto a horse float at 2am to contact their local police.
"At the moment the reward for stealing stock is quite high and the risk is quite low. We want to increase that risk," he said.
He also encouraged farmers to speak up about their stock "in a timely manner", rather than waiting until it was confirmed the animals had been stolen.
As part of Operation Stock Check's high-visibility strategy, officers of all rank have been trained to inspect vehicles carrying livestock and target loads that may have been stolen.
Detective Inspector Whiteside said it wasn't just large trucks the police would be looking out for as stock was being stolen in the back of trailers, horse floats and utes.
He wants stock checks to be as common as an RBT.
"For those people who are carting stock, whether you're doing the right thing or the wrong thing, expect to be spoken to. Have your documentation in order and then you can move along," the rural crime coordinator said.
Farmers have also been encouraged to take a step outside their farms and analyse them for weaknesses that could be utilised by criminals.
Mr Elliott said the police would make no apology for the resources they were deploying to stop livestock theft from farmers, breeders and livestock agents.
"We have a zero tolerance approach to theft... we won't allow our farmers to be dictated to by people who want to do the wrong thing and put our communities at risk and certainly put the economic viability in areas like Dubbo at risk," the Police Minister said.
Anyone with information on stolen livestock is urged to contact the Dubbo Police Station on 6883 1599 or Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.