£35,000 converted Nissan eNV200 successfully recovered in 3 hours by the Metropolitan Police and Tracker
A converted Nissan eNV200 campervan stolen from a busy street in South London was located within three and a half hours, thanks to Tracker Network (UK) Ltd and the Metropolitan Police.
Once its Tracker unit had been activated, the vehicle was quickly found a few miles away where thieves had abandoned it to ‘soak’. Clive Wain, Head of Police Liaison at Tracker, explains, “Even though the van was parked in a residential street, some way from its owner’s house, the thieves were still able to gain keyless access and drive away within seconds.
“The thieves then left the vehicle lying in wait to see if the police would find it because it had a stolen vehicle tracking device installed. In this case, the owners of the Nissan eNV200 had thankfully had a Tracker device installed for peace of mind, and in a joint operation with the Metropolitan Police, City of London Police and Tracker, it was quickly located, and the police stayed with it until the owner could collect it.
“Had they not had a Tracker device fitted, the thieves would have moved it on once they were confident the police hadn’t sussed its whereabouts. This is a common tactic used today by professional thieves and organised crime gangs, otherwise known as ‘soaking’.
According to the owner, the van is unique as it had been professionally converted into a campervan from the normal van shell about 5-years ago. The owner said, “We have travelled all over the UK and Europe, so the van holds many happy memories. Had it not been recovered it would have been very hard to replicate the personal touches we’d made and I’m not sure my insurer would have paid out on the true value. I have now added even more security measures to avoid it being stolen again, including installing a crook lock.”
Tracker’s stolen vehicle recovery solutions work like an electronic homing device. A covert transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen places around the vehicle. There is no visible aerial, so the thief won’t know it’s there.
Furthermore, Tracker is the only SVR provider offering vehicle tracking systems that are supported nationwide by UK police forces. Its detection units are fitted in over 2000 police patrol vehicles and throughout the national fleet of Police helicopters that comprise the National Police Air Service (NPAS).
Concludes Clive Wain, “Installing extra security measures to avoid theft is a sensible approach. The tracking unit is there to get it back, should the worst happen. This case demonstrates the power of Tracker’s relationship with the police and having tracking equipment installed in police cars to enable the swift location and recovery of a stolen vehicle.”
