TRACKER signal helps police find stolen plant machinery

Over £1 million of UK agriculture and construction equipment is stolen each week, but only 5 per cent is recovered, according to Plant and National Agriculture Unit. So when a JCB worth £30,000 belonging to Attleys Roofing was stolen from a building site in Newbury, the owners were thankful it had a TRACKER fitted, helping police successfully recover the vehicle.

Attleys Roofing is based in Banbury, and currently has 15 vehicles, including a mix of plant and vans fitted with TRACKER units. The JCB Telehandler was stolen within 24 hours of being delivered to a building site. Fortunately, the signal from the TRACKER unit led police to the stolen JCB, which was found in a container near the Thames, in Surbiton, London, just one week later.

“I was very impressed with the level of service from TRACKER,” says Tina Attley, company secretary for Attleys Roofing. “We received calls every day to update us on the progress of the case. Without TRACKER that JCB may never have been found leaving the company having to replace £30,000 worth of equipment. We already have another JCB on order to add to the fleet and we will definitely be getting it fitted with a TRACKER.”

“In this case, the stolen JCB had Attleys Roofing logos all over it, but the thieves had scratched these off, proving that branding won’t be a deterrent to a determined criminal,” comments Stuart Chapman TRACKER’s police relationships manager. “Once again TRACKER has proved invaluable in helping police locate stolen machinery and return it to the owners.

“Attleys could have lost an expensive piece of kit for good, which proves how important it is that plant owners protect their assets.”