Mini-diggers, mini-excavators and compressors are the most commonly stolen plant equipment

TRACKER has announced that it recovered over 3.5 million pounds worth of stolen plant and farming equipment between June 2009 and July 2010.

Supporting efforts to raise awareness of the issue, TRACKER confirms that the highest value item of stolen plant recovered by TRACKER was a Caterpillar Excavator worth £74,000, followed by a John-Derre 7930 Tractor worth £70,000. However, farmers and plant owners with smaller value items shouldn’t count themselves safe from thieves, warns TRACKER, as it frequently recovers trailers, compressors and loadalls worth just £1,000.

“Our figures show that plant machinery worth £10,000 or less accounted for 48 per cent of the total items we recovered, highlighting that thieves don’t just target expensive tractors,” says Stuart Chapman, police liaison officer for TRACKER. “Plant machinery worth £50,000 or more accounted for just 6 per cent of the total items recovered. The fact is that mini-diggers, mini-excavators and compressors are the most commonly stolen and thanks to our market leading technology, the most commonly recovered pieces of plant. Indeed we are recovering on average, two items of plant equipment a week.”

JCB and Kubota are the makes of plant machinery stolen the most and then recovered by TRACKER, however no make is safe from thieves. When it comes to the regional picture, Kent and Manchester are the UK’s hot spots for stolen plant recovery, followed by Essex and Surrey.

“All rural areas are hotspots for crime, as Country File highlights, making it essential that plant owners take proper security measures,” Chapman concludes. “Secluded lanes and empty farmyards make for easy picking for thieves sweeping through the countryside looking for plant machinery.

“An estimated £50 million to £70 million worth of plant and agricultural machinery is stolen in the UK annually and currently only five per cent of those are recovered. For peace of mind I would recommend any tractor, plant or farm machinery owner to invest in a tracking unit just in case it is stolen, it can save thousands of pounds in the long term.”

TRACKER Plant has been created to offer an unrivalled level of protection against the growing threat of plant theft. Based on TRACKER’s stolen vehicle recovery system, TRACKER Plant significantly increases the chances of recovery. The system is Thatcham approved, offering added quality assurance and the possibility of an insurance discount.

A covert transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen places around the vehicle. There is no visible aerial, so the thief would not know it is there. Unlike other tracking systems, TRACKER Plant works even if the vehicle is hidden in a garage or taken abroad, offering owners the ultimate in peace of mind should the worst happen.

Plant and Agricultural Theft Regional Hotspots
· Kent
· Manchester & Greater Manchester
· Essex
· Surrey
· West Yorkshire
· Berkshire
· Buckinghamshire

Plant and Agricultural Theft Most Popular Items Stolen
· Mini-diggers
· Mini-excavators
· Compressors
· Forklift Trucks
· Tractors