In my first 12 months as Officer in Charge of the Dumbleyung Police Station, I have received four complaints of theft of stock, namely sheep, from properties within the Shire of Dumbleyung. It is very likely there have been other instances of stock theft which have gone unreported or undetected. With the price of sheep at market, as well as the income generated from wool over the useful lifespan of an animal, even the theft of small mobs of 30-50 sheep can be a significant financial impact on a farm.
Responding to these thefts, I recently undertook training with, the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAF) which now gives me the knowledge and ability to perform checks on livestock, in particular, those being transported. Additionally, I have access to the DAF database and have downloaded all of the Property Identification Codes (PICs) for the Shire of Dumbleyung, along with all their corresponding locations, owners, ear tag numbers and ear marks.
Armed with this information, we will be commencing to perform checks of livestock being transported through the district. We will be concentrating on smaller mobs of up to 50, however, larger trucks will also be subjected to checks and anyone seen moving livestock at night will be stopped.
We will be checking for;
We do not want to unnecessarily hold up anyone lawfully moving their stock, so we ask that you do have your Waybill and/or PIC card on you at all times, (correctly completed) while transporting livestock.
Similarly, I invite anyone with information on suspicious behaviour or theft relating to livestock, to contact us at the Dumbleyung Police Station on 9863 4143 or email us at Dumbleyung.Police.Station@police.wa.gov.au. You can also make your reports anonymously through Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
When information leads us to believe stolen stock are at a specific location, we will not hesitate to execute a search warrant in order to locate and recover any identified stolen animals, and bring criminal charges against anyone found in possession of the stock.
Our aim is to try to reduce the incidents of stock theft in our area.
Article by Sergeant A.Van Den Berg
Responding to these thefts, I recently undertook training with, the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAF) which now gives me the knowledge and ability to perform checks on livestock, in particular, those being transported. Additionally, I have access to the DAF database and have downloaded all of the Property Identification Codes (PICs) for the Shire of Dumbleyung, along with all their corresponding locations, owners, ear tag numbers and ear marks.
Armed with this information, we will be commencing to perform checks of livestock being transported through the district. We will be concentrating on smaller mobs of up to 50, however, larger trucks will also be subjected to checks and anyone seen moving livestock at night will be stopped.
We will be checking for;
- Stock Waybills which need to be fully and correctly completed
- PIC cards if stock are being moved between properties listed under the one PIC
- Conducting a dip sample of livestock to check ear tags and ear marks to ensure they correspond with the PIC, Waybill and records from the DAF
- The driver’s licence status of the driver
- Alcohol/drug testing
We do not want to unnecessarily hold up anyone lawfully moving their stock, so we ask that you do have your Waybill and/or PIC card on you at all times, (correctly completed) while transporting livestock.
Similarly, I invite anyone with information on suspicious behaviour or theft relating to livestock, to contact us at the Dumbleyung Police Station on 9863 4143 or email us at Dumbleyung.Police.Station@police.wa.gov.au. You can also make your reports anonymously through Crimestoppers on 1800 333 000.
When information leads us to believe stolen stock are at a specific location, we will not hesitate to execute a search warrant in order to locate and recover any identified stolen animals, and bring criminal charges against anyone found in possession of the stock.
Our aim is to try to reduce the incidents of stock theft in our area.
Article by Sergeant A.Van Den Berg
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