The Dubbo-based assistant commissioner of police took to social media on Thursday in a live question-and-answer video with Facebook users from across NSW.

He used the video to explain his role as Corporate Spokesperson for Rural Crime, and identified stock, fuel and firearm thefts as the main issues facing the region’s producers.

In 2016 alone, he said, more 14,000 sheep have been reported stolen in NSW.

“We've heard stories around where breeding stock are stolen and producers actually lose access to blood lines that they've developed over a long period of time,” Assistant Commissioner McKechnie said.

“Now that can be absolutely catastrophic for a breeding program.

“The other side of it we see...is the traumatic affect that these types of offences have on families and individuals as well.”

He said hearing the late night gunshots and barking dogs of illegal hunting on your isolated property can be a “harrowing experience”, and something the rural crime investigators (RCIs) want to address.

Despite the prevalence of rural crime and the significant impact it has on farming businesses and families, research has demonstrated the reluctance of producers to report the crimes.

National farm surveys have shown less than 50 per cent of producers report crime to the police, despite University of New England research finding about three-quarters of producers had experienced property crime.

“We would urge people to report,” Assistant Commissioner McKechnie said.

“We need that information, particularly if there’s a pattern.”

He urged anyone with information – not just victims – to report, as many “offenders are local to where these offences occur”.

“Have a bit of faith in us,” he said.

“Make those reports...else we can’t do anything about it.”