Farmers Install CCTV to Combat Diesel Theft Amid Soaring Prices

Farmers are installing CCTV cameras at unprecedented rates to protect diesel supplies, leading one security company to overhaul its entire business model.

Conflict in the Middle East broke out in March, which caused diesel prices to soar and drove increased demand from farmers, freight companies and critical infrastructure industries across the country.

Dale Farley, a farmer in the Murray Mallee of South Australia, said he had installed more than 20 CCTV cameras across his family's three properties in response to "opportunistic thieves".

"We've always had suspicions of theft in the past, like the dogs barking or the tank's empty the next morning," he said.

"It's something so simple you can do to protect your asset.

"Fuel, fertiliser, machinery, everything has just gone through the roof."

An additional five farmers confirmed to the ABC they had also installed CCTV cameras to protect their diesel assets, but they did not wish to speak on the record.

South Australia Police said there had not been a notable increase in fuel thefts across the region, but they were concerned incidents may be going unreported.

Police also said they were encouraging rural landowners to implement CCTV and other security measures.

From one business model to another

The increase in demand from farmers has been so pronounced that a Riverland-based security business has switched its primary focus from the commercial sector to agriculture.

Smart Automation Solutions director Cody Milne said call-outs for his business to install CCTV on agricultural properties had risen by 300 per cent since the war in the Middle East broke out.

"Agriculture was maybe 10 per cent of our business, but now that we've had this uptick in fuel pricing and theft increase, it's on track to be 50 per cent," he said.

"We've had to hire more people just to fill that void."

"The cost-of-living crisis seems to be driving theft up, but agriculture seems to be where everyone's spending to get the security done," he said.

"A $10,000 investment [for CCTV installation] for farmers, one asset loss might be a couple hundred thousand dollars, so it's not a bad investment.

Mr Farley said word of mouth was as helpful as anything in deterring theft.

"It does spread through the town [when you install CCTV cameras], because if I've got cameras and alarms, why would they want to come here and try to steal something?" he said.

Cost of living driving theft

While Mr Farley would never condone stealing, he said he understood that the current financial climate and cost-of-living pressures were not helping matters.

"People do desperate things in desperate times."

"It doesn't make a person bad because they're doing something desperate because you don't know their circumstances."

Mr Farley said he would ask the public to think twice before targeting farming families just trying to make a living on the land.

"We've got a great community in the Mallee, everybody's got everybody's back and we all look after each other."