DEALER USING ADVANCED TRACKING SYSTEM

CR Willcocks, one of the South West's longest running farm machinery dealerships, have said they are using the ATVTrac security system due to the high desirability of ATVs and utility vehicles to determined thieves.

The dealership already utilises the CESAR Datatag forensic marking system on other farm machinery they sell, making it easier to identify equipment that might have been stolen - but the ATVTrac system is further advanced, featuring real-time monitoring via an app and the support of a 24-7 Operations Centre.

Steve Retallick, Sales Director at CR Willcocks, explained, "ATVTrac is a stealth tracker that uses GPS and radio frequency detection. Any unauthorised movement of a farm vehicle, quad bikes being a good example, results in an immediate alert. If it's confirmed as stolen then a 24/7 tracking team at ATVTrac's Operations Centre then work with the police to monitor the vehicle's movements in real-time and recover the vehicle. It is so effective that in most cases insurers are more than happy to significantly reduce the premium on any machine that it's installed on."

Rural Crime Officer for Devon, PC Martin Beck, who recently visited the company with colleague PC Chris Collins, commented, "Advances in technology that help to protect valuable equipment are definitely to be welcomed, and we would urge all farmers and landowners to explore their options as necessity and budget allows.

“We should also remember that we need to work together as a community, putting crime prevention and communication at the forefront, building awareness on how people can keep their neighbours and property safe.

“Acknowledging that neighbours aren’t necessarily near neighbours in the farming community, we should urge everyone to join one of our watch schemes for the latest community alerts and updates.”