A stolen tractor?
A stolen horse box?
A lawn mower stolen from a garden shed?
Fly tipping along a country lane?
Poaching?
Yes, all of those and more. But one item which has proven popular in recent years that the criminal gangs have taken a shine to is….?
Have you guessed it? I’ll give you a clue three letters – – -.
Global Positioning Systems (GPS ) for short.
Combine harvesters and tractors have them installed, and they are not cheap items to replace; they are classed as an item of high value to any criminal looking to make a quick few hundred pounds. They are an item which is stolen more and more frequently because they are easily portable, and not many of us realise this because we think of rural crime as some of the items which are listed at the start of this post.
In recent years, GPS systems have been one of the most frequently-stolen items from farms because of their high value and portability. As this post was written in March, now is the time which sees GPS crime more active. Spring is the start of the busy time in farming, and GPS units will be high on the thieves’ list of items.
GPS units have been stolen in recent weeks from all over the UK.
So, what can you do?
Mark your GPS units with Smart-Water pens or indelible ink with the farm name and your postcode. These actions will help the police to return the items to their rightful owners. Most GPSs have PIN codes. Now would be a good time to start if you have not activated yours. If you can remove the unit from your machinery, do it; also, make sure that you have a copy of all the details and serial numbers. A good idea is to take a photo of the said unit. All mobile phones have a camera. Put it to good use and stop taking selfies.
Another thing to remember is if your machinery does have a GPS installed, that system is specially installed for your tractor or combine harvester and could take weeks for you to replace it. Farm GPS systems are an important piece of equipment on farms these days; they store so much important information the last thing you want to happen is someone running off across your fields with it.
One last thing is criminal gangs know what they are looking for, so by doing some of these security measures, we can all make life harder for the thieves.
