Force spearheading national crackdown on GPS thieves

Thieves who steal expensive GPS technology from farm machinery are being targeted as part of a national crackdown spearheaded by Cambridgeshire police.

Since 1 January, there have been 113 reports of thefts of GPS guidance systems used by farmers across Britain.

In response, the force’s Rural Crime Action Team (RCAT) has teamed up with the newly-launched National Rural Crime Unit (NRCU) on Operation Walrus, which will target the criminals and work on prevention.

Sergeant Tom Nuttall, from the RCAT, said: “Theft of GPS equipment causes farmers much misery and also costs them serious amounts of money so it’s fundamentally important we tackle this increasing problem head-on.

“While there have been arrests and convictions, there is still a lot of work to be done to tackle these organised crime gangs who target farms using sophisticated methods.”

There will be increased patrols of farms, property marking sessions, crime prevention advice for farmers and partnership working with Countryside Watch groups.

Last month, two men from Cambridgeshire were arrested in Northumbria on suspicion of stealing GPS systems from Scotland.

Meanwhile, other forces have secured convictions.

In March, Mantas Dvareckas, 25, of Granville Road, Great Yarmouth, was jailed for two years and six months at Chester Crown Court, having pleaded guilty to the thefts of GPS systems from tractors in Cheshire in October 2021.

Last year, Aidas Cesna, 28, of Webb Street, Lincoln, and Gintaras Jankauskas, 30, of no fixed address, were jailed after admitting conspiring to steal equipment valued at about £380,000 from agricultural vehicles at multiple farms and estates across Essex, between September and October 2021.

In November, Jankauskas was sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court to three years and 10 months in prison while Cesna received three years at Chester Crown Court in July last year.

Cesna also got a further one year and six months in prison for numerous offences at farms in Cheshire in February last year.

DC Chris Piggott, from the NRCU, said: “These incidents show offenders are willing to travel the length and breadth of the country to steal GPS systems.

“We’re seeing reports of thefts from every part of Britain — not just the arable areas in the east of England— with recent clusters of thefts in north west and north east England and Scotland.

“It looks as though at least two criminal gangs are currently active. 

“They are putting a lot of effort into identifying farm equipment fitted with GPS, watching those farms and even using drones to spot opportunities to return at night. They go to great lengths to get hold of systems, breaking through locked gates and buildings security systems to take GPS from machinery.”

Police are also offering the following advice to farmers:

• Be sure to remove GPS systems, screens and other valuables when leaving vehicles and store securely.
• Park tractors and other agricultural vehicles in secure, alarmed buildings in well-lit areas covered by CCTV.
• Activate PIN security on GPS systems, with your own unique number if available.
• If your system is not PIN enabled, mark your postcode to deter thieves and trace your property back to you.
• Keep tractors and combines with GPS stored out of sight when possible.
• Record serial numbers and photograph your systems.
• Check serial numbers of second-hand systems offered for sale.