A recent spate of livestock thefts and reports of farmers being threatened have prompted South West MP Mick Murray to call for the reinstatement of the police stock squad.

Collie farmer Ken Woods had 110 sheep stolen from his property on the weekend, most fine merino ewes, with a value estimated at about $20,000.

The Rural Stock Squad was a team of country police officers devoted to protecting and policing rural properties and farms across the state but it was disbanded in 2008.

Farmer and contracted pig hunter Mike Butcher said illegal pig hunters frequently trespassed on his and others' property, and it was not uncommon to hear of threats of killing livestock or setting fire to land if they were not given permission to hunt.

On his own property, Mr Butcher frequently repairs fencing damaged by bolt cutters, and has given up on replacing thousands of dollars worth of CCTV cameras stolen by rustlers who want to steal or hunt on his property.

He said in addition to pig hunting, illegal hunting, killing and stealing of livestock still plagued farms in the South West.

"I've seen calves and young beasts with heads cut off, or skinned and the meat taken, and at the moment, the likelihood of people being caught is quite low," he said.

Mr Butcher believed the problem was just as bad as it was prior to the Stock Squad being disbanded.

"It's something that's been going on for a very long time," he said.

"It's as much as a problem if not more of a problem than it was before."

Crimes not getting the attention they should: Murray

Mr Murray believed crimes committed in the country were not given the same level of attention as those in the city.

"I think the police do a fairly good job, but in saying that, if the stock squad was still around, I think that would probably stop some of these problems because it would be instantly there, not tied up with day-to-day issues," he said.

"[Losing] it has put pressure on police all the way through."

WA Police regional commander Murray Smalpage said that was not the case.

"We treat stolen livestock very seriously, and conduct a thorough investigation whenever theft occurs in regional WA," he said.

In a statement, WA Police said they retained responsibility for stock and rural theft when the stock squad was disbanded.

In the wake of that, the role of regional crime coordinator was created and filled by an officer with experience in rural crime and livestock investigation, the same unit that was dealing with theft of Mr Woods' sheep, police said.

No complaints by farmers about alleged threats made by pig hunters trespassing on their properties had been made in the past 12 months, police said.

They are urging anyone with information concerning livestock theft to contact local police.