Tagged kit leads to arrest

The Tracker plant theft detection system has been successfully used for the first time in the UK to recover stolen plant. The police recovered a mini excavator, worth œ17,500, which had been stolen from a lock-up garage in Edinburgh over the weekend.

The owner - who wishes to remain anonymous - has in the last two months fitted Tracker to 90 pieces of plant and equipment. As soon as he realised the excavator had been stolen he contacted the police and Tracker Network. This activated the tracker unit hidden in the excavator, and enabled the police using tracking computers in their patrol cars to pinpoint the machine's whereabouts within nine hours of the theft being reported. The machine was found 20 miles away.

The owner of the machine, who is responsible for plant on eight sites in Edinburgh, said: 'This time last year I had a mini excavator stolen and never got it back. This time I've had one returned within nine hours of it being stolen. In the past I've used immobilisers to protect plant but this has led to ignition problems. Once a thief has managed to remove the immobiliser you've lost the equipment for good. With this system, although it's more expensive, you're more likely to get it back.'

The recovery has led to an arrest. When the excavator, a one-month-old JCB 801.4, was found, both the owner's name and plant number had been removed.

Since its launch in September 1993, Tracker has resulted in recovery of 210 non-plant vehicles worth œ3.5 million. It was launched into the plant market this year and in January JCB became the first plant manufacturer to offer the system as an option on all plant.