‘TIS THE SEASON FOR QUAD AND ATV THEFTS
The latest NFU Mutual Rural Crime Report reveals that almost half of the reported quad and ATV thefts in 2021 took place between September and December1, a trend also witnessed by stolen vehicle recovery expert, Tracker Network (UK) Ltd. As one of the best-selling ATVs in history, the Honda TRX 500 accounts for one in two of the stolen quads and ATVs Tracker recovers each year.
With the cost-of-living crisis pushing up black market values, Tracker warns that the theft of farming vehicles and equipment is likely to escalate this autumn. Indeed, whilst quad and ATV thefts declined in 2021 compared to 2020, NFU Mutual has already reported a recent upward trend and reveals that the first quarter of 2022 suggests a worrying return to pre-pandemic crime levels, with costs up by over 40% from the same period the previous year.
Clive Wain, Head of Police Liaison at Tracker explains, “Every year rural crime costs UK businesses tens of millions of pounds, with quad and ATV thefts alone costing £2.2million last year. We repeatedly see cases of farm owners losing out on days, or even weeks, of work because quads and ATVs were stolen, particularly in the autumn and winter months. But the cost-of-living crisis is further fuelling interest from thieves in used and older farming vehicles and equipment who are looking to fill the shortfall in new assets due to supply chain disruptions. And quads and ATVs are prized targets because they are in high demand and easily portable.
“Criminal gangs steal to order to re-distribute throughout the UK and are experienced at quickly shipping goods abroad to places like Eastern Europe and North Africa, and quads and ATVs are no exception. It is crucial that farming communities take the necessary steps to protect their property and assets.”
DC Chris Piggott of the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Services (NaVCIS) told NFU Mutual2, “The vast majority of the stolen quads we recover, we recover because they have some sort of tracking enabled on them.”
Tracker has an unrivalled stolen vehicle recovery rate of more than 95%, and 80% of stolen vehicles are recovered within 24 hours, thanks to its exclusive nationwide partnership with the UK’s police. Tracker’s 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. VHF technology unique to Tracker makes its units resistant to GPS/GSM jamming, confirming Tracker as a superior security defence against determined thieves.
Simple steps to better protect farming vehicles
- Always remove keys from the vehicle and store them securely.
- Do not leave the vehicle unattended in fields or visible from roads.
- Store vehicles in the most secure building on the farm, preferably covered by CCTV or visible from the house or road, and in a well-lit area to deter thieves.
- Invest in a quad vice or ground stake and chain to add a physical barrier to slow down thieves and prevent opportunistic thefts.
- Be diligent about always using deterrents and locks such as ram locks, steering lock, pedal locks and immobilisers.
- Install a tracking device so the vehicle can be located quickly in the event of a theft, to avoid down time and protect insurance premiums. Tracker devices use a unique combination of GPS/GSM and VHF technology to ensure vehicles can be located if stored underground, in a shipping container, or taken to Europe.
NFU Mutual policyholders can benefit from up to 12.5% discount on policies covering a tractor or quad bike with a Tracker device fitted.
1https://www.nfumutual.co.uk/globalassets/farming/rural-crime/nfu-mutual-rural-crime-report-20222.pdf
2https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WF68fQejzE
