Catch the Crop Thieves! ... Gyeongnam Police Agency Prevents Theft During Harvest Season

The Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency will focus on preventing and apprehending agricultural product thefts for two months until November.

On the 10th, the provincial police agency predicted that agricultural product theft incidents would frequently occur this year due to soaring agricultural product prices caused by abnormal weather conditions such as the scorching heat and heavy rains.

Accordingly, the Gyeongnam police will designate agricultural product storage warehouses and areas around farmlands as intensified patrol zones, increase patrols, and cooperate with local neighborhood watch groups to prevent agricultural product thefts during nighttime hours.

They will conduct joint inspections with local governments, the NongHyup (National Agricultural Cooperative Federation), and others to check whether locks, alarms, and closed-circuit television (CCTV) systems in agricultural product storage warehouses are functioning properly, and immediately repair any broken or malfunctioning facilities.

Gyeongnam Provincial Police Agency.
Photo by Lee Seryeong

Local police substations or precincts will visit village halls to conduct theft prevention education and related publicity.

Visible patrols will be carried out using detective vehicles, focusing on cultivation sites and warehouses where thefts frequently occur or are expected to occur.

When a theft report is received, the 112 Integrated Security Situation Room will serve as the command center (control tower), sharing real-time information among detectives, local police, and the CCTV control center, analyzing and blocking escape routes to ensure early apprehension of suspects and recovery of stolen goods, minimizing damage.

A representative of the provincial police agency stated, “Preventing agricultural product theft requires active interest and participation from farmers, related organizations, and cooperative groups,” adding, “Please pay special attention to managing agricultural products when going out and immediately report any suspicious persons or vehicles to the police.”