News Item: Theft of GPS Systems from Plant Machinery on the Rise

According to the new Agricultural and Construction Equipment Unit (ACE), there has been a recorded increase in the theft of GPS guidance systems from construction plant.

Founded in April 2021 as a new team within Opal, ACE focuses specifically on theft of equipment from construction sites, and therefore relies on cooperation across the industry.

GPS theft has reached disastrously high levels in the agricultural sector in Europe, with new trends showing that criminals have now turned their attention to similar technology installed in plant machinery, creating a major problem for both industries.

ACE has reached out to trade associations in the construction sector to warn their members and gather reports of any similar thefts of GPS equipment to establish whether the issue has reached business and sites in the UK.

HAE urges members to report any instances of GPS system theft from their products to ACE by emailing opal@westmercia.pnn.police.uk for the attention of the Agricultural and Construction Equipment Unit.

HAE EHA keeps its members up to date with instances of theft and fraud from across the UK. If you aren’t receiving these alerts please contact marketing@hae.org.uk.

Mark Bradshaw, Public Affairs Manager, has recently attended the Combined Industry Theft Solutions (CITS) Conference and a meeting of security and risk managers from hire businesses. Discussions included the latest theft and advice, and the importance of sharing information to tackle the rising levels of fraud and theft. ACE is already making a difference but if you have any questions about how they operate or would like regular updates, please contact Mark Bradshaw on 0121 380 4621.