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Police are warning farmers and those who own agricultural vehicles to be vigilant following a rise in GPS guidance system thefts.
The valuable systems, which usually sit inside the tractor cab, allow farmers to accurately navigate to specific locations in a field, to collect soil samples or monitor crop conditions, for example.
Cambridgeshire police’s rural crime action team (RCAT) has received six reports of system thefts across the county since the end of January, totalling more than £25,000. Until these recent incidents, there had been no reported thefts since October.
RCAT is working with the National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS) to help tackle the issue. Sergeant Tom Nuttall said: “As well as increasing our patrols in rural areas, we’re encouraging farmers to be vigilant and be sure to remove the systems, screens and other valuables when leaving their vehicles.
“We also recommend parking tractors and agricultural vehicles in secure, alarmed buildings or in well-lit areas covered by CCTV.
“NaVCIS has created a video in partnership with the National Farmers Union (NFU) to provide information about GPS system security, which we recommend watching.”
For more on rural crime, visit the force webpage.
*Check out RCAT's guide to keeping GPS systems safe...