The theft of plant and machinery from construction sites is reckoned to be at an all time high with construction sites becoming a magnet for criminals and organised gangs who know that highly valuable equipment is sitting there waiting to be stolen.
And there’s demand for used plant and machinery not just in the UK but Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
Theft has become a problem not just for major construction companies but smaller family run businesses too. A number of companies now specialise in security systems specifically for the construction and building sectors; Tag Guard being one of them, and they report a recent success for their Locator tracking device. This had been fitted to a digger belonging to Gelder Construction in Lincoln; stolen over a weekend, the crime was detected by Tag Guard’s site security system and CCTV footage was recorded. The tracking system alerted Tag Guard’s 24-hour control centre to the removal of the digger from site and provided the location of where it had been taken to and the time it arrived. Gelder Construction staff were able to go to the exact location near Doncaster where the digger was found and the Police were then called.
Excavators, and because of their compact size especially mini excavators, represent the biggest single category of machinery stolen from construction sites. Almost half of the near £50 million worth of stolen plant and machinery recorded in 2005 were excavators.
The Tag Guard Locator vehicle tracking system was designed for use on excavators, diggers and other high value plant. According to the firm, it will give customers control over vehicle or plant use and will not only help prevent theft but could reduce down time and operating costs by identifying unauthorised use. The Locator system also has Thatcham Category 5 approval.
