Farm raiders go high-tech with drones and truck hijackings

Farm thieves are turning to drones and the hijacking of trucks despite an overall fall in violent crimes.

Agribusiness leaders say they are experiencing high levels of theft, and that rising security costs due to minimum wage hikes adds to the challenge. The business leaders say thieves are stealing by the truckload and using camera-drones to scope out farms.

“I know it’s been very topical in the news that crime is down, largely murders, but I would argue that theft is huge,” said Alicia Bogues, head of Regional Development at the CB Group Limited.

Bogues and other business leaders addressed a panel discussion last week during the release of the Jamaica Chamber of Commerce’s quarterly business and consumer confidence indices. Consumer confidence hit an all-time high due to tourism prospects, but business confidence was flat with crime listed as a main negative factor.