Covert tracking system offer to support vulnerable landowners

• A Home Office backed covert vehicle tracking service to protect farm machinery was unveiled in Gloucestershire today
• Leading industry expert AX Innovation claim it has a near 100% stolen vehicle recovery rate
• The system is being offered to landowners at a reduced rate thanks to a subsidy from the Home Office Safer Streets Fund
• Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner Chris Nelson said, “The scale, cost, social impact and other effects of crime in rural areas are underestimated, under-reported and not fully understood. As a result, farming communities are facing fear and intimidation from groups of criminals”.

A Home Office backed covert vehicle tracking service to protect farm machinery was unveiled in Gloucestershire today (Tuesday 5 March).

The system is credited with protecting more than £250m worth of vehicles and a near 100% stolen vehicle recovery rate.

AX Innovation Limited, a leading industry expert, demonstrated the system to landowners at Dumbleton near Tewkesbury.

Inspector Sarah Blake, Operational lead for Gloucestershire Constabulary’s Rural, Wildlife and Heritage Crime, said: “The loss of equipment may not be noticed immediately, and its detection can often be challenging.

“But this type of crime has a real impact on peoples’ livelihoods, heightening the feelings of vulnerability and fear of crime in rural locations and is a priority for the Constabulary”.

The project is part-funded with money secured from the Home Office Safer Streets Fund by Gloucestershire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Chris Nelson, which means the company is able to offer a big discount, making it more affordable to landowners.

Mr. Nelson said, “The impact of crime is often greater on victims in the countryside due to their remote and isolated locations, making them feel more vulnerable and anxious. It also poses a threat to public health and safety, as well as animal welfare”.

“The scale, cost, social impact and other effects of crime in rural areas are underestimated, under-reported and not fully understood. As a result, farming communities are facing fear and intimidation from groups of criminals”.

Charles Day, Deputy Chair of the Gloucestershire National Farmers Union, said: “Rural communities are remote and a soft target for criminals, there’s not always people passing by and we have plenty of things to be nicked because farmers have all the kit. So you have to put in measures to make theft unattractive.

“What we love is how AX Track do the tracking themselves. A lot of people are struggling in agriculture with time and money, and a lot of money is being spent on insurance and hopefully the trackers will reduce insurance costs.

“Having the discount on offer makes the service obviously more affordable and attractive. It all comes down to cost and perception. The price of lots of our equipment has gone through the roof in recent years and everything is so expensive. Having the trackers at a discounted price will be great, and hopefully that discount will make a difference.”

AX Innovation’s AX Track service is accredited by UK Policing’s ‘Secured by Design initiative’ and the UK’s only not-for-profit automotive risk intelligence organisation  Thatcham Research, which means it is also approved and recommended by the National Farmers’ Union and other insurers.

Neil Thomas, Director of Investigative Services at AX Track, said: “With decades of policing experience, we understand the competing demands on Gloucestershire Constabulary officers and staff.

“Knowing that agricultural machinery is sometimes left unattended for prolonged periods, GPS technology will alert the owner if their property reports outside a designated area and confirm whether it is safe.

“Our records show that in the event of theft, it gives landowners the best chance of getting their vehicles and machinery back”.

A limited number of AX Track devices have been allocated to the Constabulary through the Safer Streets Funding. Landowners who take up the offer will automatically be registered as a member of the new Gloucestershire “Farm and Estate watch”, which will be launched shortly and whose principle aim is to focus on the concerns experienced by country landowners and work together to tackle them.