The ‘Fortress Farm’: Articulating a new approach to redesigning ‘Defensible Space’ in a rural context.

Abstract This conceptual paper explores and develops a holistic, contemporary model of crime prevention namely the ‘Fortress Farm’ concept as proposed by the National Farmers Union in the United Kingdom. This novel idea is underpinned by the criminological theory of defensible space as posited by Oscar Newman, and by other theories of crime prevention. A holistic, practice-based model of crime prevention drawing on all aspects of the topic is developed and discussed in the context of preventing and deterring farm crime. This model can be adapted by individual farms or collectives to design out crime on farms. In the process, this paper advances our understanding of crime prevention both at a farm level and in a wider rural context. “Countryside criminals are becoming more brazen and farmers are now having to continually increase security and adopt new ways of protecting their equipment. In some parts of the country, farmers are having to turn their farmyards into fortresses to protect themselves from repeated thieves who are targeting quads, tractors and power tools. They are using tracking devices on tractors, video and infra-red surveillance in their farmyards and even DNA markers to protect sheep from rustlers”.

Tim Price, NFU Spokesman (2017).