South Wales farmers were today warned to be on the alert for three men from the Cardiff area with a pellet gun who claimed to be rabitting when the white transit van they were travelling in was spotted parked on two separate farms in the Neath area recently.
Police inspected the inside of the van - CV05 YPK - at Llwynllanc Farm, Crynant, and nothing was found but it was seen again five days later parked on a neighbouring farm.
"We are anxious to highlight this incident because there have been a lot of farm quad bikes stolen in that area recently," said Farmers' Union of Wales Glamorgan county executive officer Adrian Evans.
"The police are warning farmers that this could be just another scam by giving criminals a degree of legitimacy for being on farmers' land and having a good look around the buildings."
Police also revealed that a notable arrest was made in Aberdulais recently when two Merthyr men were apprehended for going equipped to steal. They were also using a transit van which contained empty diesel drums and siphoning equipment.
On the weekend the white transit van was seen for the second time two more criminal incidents occurred on farms near Neath. A stolen tractor was left crashed into a tree at Gellyfowy Fawr, Ynysmeudwy, Pontardawe, and a steel gate was stolen from Brynchwyth, Tonna.
"If farmers see the white van on their land or any other suspicious vehicles or intruders they should report the sighting to the police via the telephone number 101," Mr Evans added.
Meanwhile, an interesting project to help cut down on rural crime in Carmarthenshire was outlined at a meeting of the FUW's county executive meeting when Dyfed Powys Police crime reduction coordinator Brian Jones gave details of a pilot scheme being launched in the county.
The Online Watch Link (OWL) is a two-way initiative that would allow the police to pass relevant messages to the community and encourage the community to respond to the messages. The message could be of a crime prevention nature or to let the recipient know of a notable incident.
OWL is free and the message could be received via the home phone, a mobile phone, text message or, alternatively, via e-mail to the home or place of work.
For further details contact Brian Jones at Ammanford police station - Tel: 101/ext 27465, E-mail: