Police minister Paul Toole used the first day of AgQuip to announce the state government will expand the state's Rural Crime Prevention Teams by adding 10 new specialist police, across NSW.

Two of the specialist police will be based in Gunnedah, working alongside two cops in Tamworth.

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"There is nothing worse for our hard working farmers to have some lowlife go onto his property and steal something that he has made a honest and a hard day's living out of," Mr Toole said.

"These people are scumbags.

"These rural crime investigators, they will get you, they will catch you and they will catch the people that are engaged in this kind of activity."

Minister Toole, who is also the leader of the National Party and the state's deputy premier, said the state had doubled the strength of its Rural Crime Prevention Teams to 53 statewide since first creating the units five years ago.

Detective Chief Inspector Cameron Whiteside, who leads the Rural Crime Prevention Team, said the remaining eight rural crime specialists would be deployed strategically around the state.

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With the price of fuel climbing and the value of stock increasing, crime is more potentially lucrative than ever, he said.

"We find there's probably 10 to one sheep to cattle being stolen around the state, which is quite significant," he said.

"At the saleyard gate, it's about $5 million a year. But that's a very conservative amount, especially with the cost of stock at the moment."

Aside from the "quintessential" agricultural offence of cattle duffing, the officers can also investigate a range of other rural offences like trespass, animal cruelty, illegal hunting, and even illegal oyster theft in coastal areas.

There has already been more than a 100 per cent increase in diesel theft during the recent fuel shortage, he said.

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Detective Chief Inspector Whiteside said the units were in a better position than ever to crack down on the scourge of the bush.

Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson encouraged local landholders to report even very minor offences to the new team, to help the cops piece together a broader picture and ultimately make arrests.

"Whether it's on the streets of Gunnedah, or whether it's out the back of Mullaley, we will catch crime, we will drive down crime and we will continue to work with our local police and we thank them sincerely," he said.

The policing boost comes in addition to six extra cops added as part of the preventative crime team in Tamworth, and five additional probationary police officers.

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