Plugging into GPS trackers to fight theft
With more and more professional criminals targeting farms, the Bluetrack company is marketing discreet and cost-effective GPS trackers to be attached to valuable farm kit.
Placed out of sight in a vehicle, Bluetrack’s Sniper GPS tracker enables the authorities to see where the vehicle is travelling, and its speed and direction of travel, nearly anywhere in the world.
Or trackers could be attached to livestock, or hidden in bags of fertiliser.
According to the latest data from NFU Mutual, which insures three our of four UK farmers, 2013 was the worst year on record for livestock theft, and the cost of crime to the UK’s rural economy reached £44.5m.
The vast numbers of sheep and cattle being rustled are expected to end up in the meat market, making it virtually impossible for the animals and perpetrators to be traced. Livestock theft costs are up 25% in parts of Northern England and Northern Ireland, where a wave of cattle and sheep rustling has occurred.
Expensive farming machinery and vehicles are also being stolen, with many top-of-the range vehicles being smuggled out of the country. According to the annual report from NFU Mutual, claims for this type of crime in the county of Cambridgeshire alone, totalled £2.7m.
But the most common items targeted by thieves on farms were tools, followed by all-terrain vehicles and quad bikes. Criminals have also started to turn their attention to fertilisers and pesticides, with a loss of £20,000 reported in one raid.
The advice to farmers is to take more precautions, but this can sometimes have negative consequences.
Obvious security measures do not always deter professional criminals, as farmer across the nation are finding out.
Farmer Steven Hole said: “The more you secure you make it, the more obvious it is you have something to hide.”
Keith Walker of Bluetrack says: “The theft of farm vehicles and machinery is at record level, and we believe GPS trackers can alleviate the problem somewhat. By fitting the trackers to livestock and vehicles, and hiding in bags of fertiliser, farmers will have the upper hand if any of their assets get stolen.”
The trackers are priced from £85.
