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Fears over “sophisticated” criminals stealing GPS systems on farms across Humberside

Rural theft in Humberside

Fears over “sophisticated” criminals stealing GPS systems on farms across Humberside

Humberside Police have issued a statement to offer ‘rural crime prevention advice’ to members of the public.

According to the force, items that seems to be targeted repeatedly by thieves up and down the country are the GPS and navigation equipment of tractors.

Rural Task Force officer Josh Fawcett of Humberside Police said: “At this time of year our farmers and rural communities are so busy bringing in the harvest and tending their crops that they can often forget to make sure their properties and equipment are properly secure.

“Their machinery is a massive investment and so we want to remind people to keep it safe and out of the way of opportunist or targeting thieves.

“One of the key items targeted by thieves across the country are Tractor GPS and Navigation equipment.”

Some key advice given by police to help prevent these items being stolen are to remove screens when not in use, disconnect and remove GPS receivers, record serial numbers and also consider locking away the tractor in an alarmed shed.

The Rural Task Force officer continued: “Please also make sure your device is properly insured as it may need to be a separate item on your insurance, especially once removed from machinery.

“We would also advise people to consider installing CCTV, intruder alarms, security lighting and boundary security (entrance gates/fencing) around your property to provide formal surveillance and target harden the most vulnerable areas.

“We cannot physically be everywhere at the same time and our communities are our eyes and ears in the countryside. They know when something they see isn’t right.

“We want them to call us about any suspicious activity they see. Please report this to police immediately on 999 if there is a crime in progress or 101 for non-emergency incidents.”

For more information on how you can help to prevent rural crime, click here.

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