Stopping the tractor crime wave

Tractors are the latest target for criminal gangs with hundreds being stolen each year - Tag Guard’s TagTrack vehicle tracking device could help stop this crime wave.

Hundreds of tractors are being stolen each year, the latest target of highly organised criminal gangs. Virtually all rural areas of the UK are affected and the value of stolen tractors and other farm equipment is now over a staggering £3 million a year. In 2009, the counties of Lancashire and Greater Manchester appear to have been the hardest hit with £1,071,000 worth of equipment being stolen in Greater Manchester alone and £713,000 worth of equipment illegally taken from Lancashire.

These are rich and easy pickings - with second hand tractors commanding prices anywhere between £50,000 and £100,000 each. And tractors are relatively easy to steal because ignition keys are standard and can usually start any vehicle. A £75,000 new tractor can have less anti-theft security than a £7,500 new car. Tractors, diggers, trailers and quad bikes are all now stolen from farms on a regular basis, typically getting shipped out of the country where there is a ready demand from as far afield as Australia.

The time has surely come for both tractor manufacturers and owners - farmers - to look at measures to both deter and detect this crime. A number of companies have solutions, with Tag Guard Ltd being one of them. Their ‘TagTrack’ tracking device already has a proven record of success in recovering stolen vehicles in the construction and building sectors.

TagTrack was specifically designed for use on excavators, diggers and other high value plant like tractors. Simple to set up and operate, it gives customers control over vehicle or plant use. By tracking vehicle movement it can detect theft or unauthorised use. Tag Guard say that TagTrack is quick and simple to install and transferable from vehicle to vehicle. Customers can also opt to use Tag Guard’s own 24-hour remote monitoring service, which can assist with the swift recovery of stolen vehicle or plant.

Tag Guard Systems pioneered the development of wireless security systems and are now at the forefront of fighting crime in the building and construction sectors.