Grain theft, break-ins reported throughout rural SA

In recent weeks, Stock Journal was alerted to at least six social media posts about stolen property or break ins in rural areas.

A person known to Stock Journal said their property in the Lower North was broken into days prior to Christmas, with a road train's worth of grain stolen.

The person said they had recently finished reaping a paddock at nightfall when a field bin was emptied by an unknown person overnight.

"We had just finished the paddock, filled up our contracted road trains for delivery in the morning and we'd taken our machinery and empty field bins to the next paddock, so there were only three field bins and an auger left to fill up in the morning," they said.

"The next morning at about 8am, there didn't seem to be the same amount of grain there.

"I called everyone to check if someone had got their wires crossed but no one had any explanation and we were down about 56 tonnes of wheat."

The person said that's when they started to think the worst.

"I was looking around the paddock and I noticed some heavy vehicle marks in the paddock," they said.

"It looked like they left the paddock in the opposite direction to what we would normally do and I knew it didn't make sense.

"Then I went to the auger and noticed it was fully loaded and the belts were still engaged, so whoever had been there had just turned the machine off at the key mid strike."

The person said they then called local farmers to check if a contractor had accidentally gone into their paddock, but when there were no more avenues left to explore, they called the police.

When the police arrived, they were unable to check for fingerprints due to dust contamination.

"It was about $20,000 worth of grain gone and it seemed like there was nothing they could do to help," the person said.

"I was told to install cameras and lock the gates, but that's not really realistic.

"Now it's a fight with the insurance company because grain theft isn't covered by insurance but it's not specifically not covered either - it's a bit of a grey area."

They said this was not the first time an incident like this had occurred, with someone previously trying to steal a water tank and had also broken into a truck on the property.

The incident was not the only crime allegation posted on social media in recent months.

Someone posted in a Laura community group stating a farmhouse on their property had been broken into this month, while others in the area reported cars with slashed tyres.

On Eyre Peninsula, concerned community members have shared reports of suspicious vehicles entering property driveways and anecdotal reports of break ins at farmhouses in the area.

Another person known to Stock Journal also shared their Paris Creek property had had a new boundary fence cut as well as internal fences with the alleged assailants taking a load of fire wood before ramming through a locked gate to leave.

A recent SAPOL media alert said police were investigating a number of recent water meter thefts in the Mid North, with the thefts occurring at Beetaloo Valley and Koolunga in the first week of January.

SAPOL said incidents had also been reported as far south as Red Hill and at Warnertown in the north.

Two pharmacies at Streaky Bay and Wudinna have also been broken into in recent weeks.

Stock Journal contacted SAPOL repeatedly and asked if there had been an increase of crime in rural areas and if there were any rural crime statistics being gathered.

SAPOL did not respond before deadline.

SAPOL was also asked if there were any plans to establish a rural crime squad within SA, and Stock Journal received no response.