London, U.K. – 15th May 2023 – When a thief in Arnison, Durham unlawfully helped himself to a moped that was on-loan from charity Wheels 2 Work, little did he know the police would soon be on his trail. The stolen SYM Orbit scooter was fitted with a stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) unit from Tracker Network UK Ltd which when activated, enabled the police to recover the vehicle in less than three hours.
The Wheels 2 Work scooter-loan service provides vital support to Country Durham residents to help them sustain or access employment, apprenticeships or further education that would otherwise be difficult because of challenging public transport connections, availability or out-of-hours work pattern, or if they have no other mode of transport.
The SYM Orbit scooter is worth £2,500, and its loss would have had a significant impact on the charity’s funds, as well as its ability to help residents travel to and from work, training and interviews. Once the theft was reported by its owners to police on 17th April, Tracker was quickly notified and its SVR device activated. A police control room in Northumbria employed Tracker’s unique combination of VHF with GPS/GSM technology to locate the moped on the outskirts of Sunderland. A team attended the address and recovered the stolen moped from a back garden just two hours and 37 minutes after the unit was activated.
Liam Weatherill, Manager of Wheels 2 Work, added: “We have 45 mopeds that we can lend to those who are otherwise unable to travel to work. Because of the cost-of-living crisis we are busier than ever and losing any one of these vehicles would have a significant impact on our ability to provide that invaluable support. Every one of our scooters is fitted with a Tracker unit, including the ten new ones we have just ordered. This incident and the efficient recovery of our scooter proves that is a worthwhile investment to protect our fleet and ensure we can continue to support our community.”
Tracker’s SVR solutions work like an electronic homing device. A covert transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen places around the vehicle. There is no visible aerial, so the thief won’t know it’s there.
Crucially Tracker is the only SVR provider supported nationwide by U.K. police forces who track, locate and recovery stolen assets using Tracker’s unique technology. More than 2,000 police patrol vehicles and all police helicopters are fitted with Tracker detection units, which has led to the Police successfully recovering almost 9 in 10 stolen vehicles fitted with a Tracker.
Clive Wain, Head of Police Liaison at Tracker, concluded: “We are waiting to hear if charges will be brought, but we are delighted that the vehicle has been returned to the charity so it can continue its vital work supporting the local community. This case demonstrates the powerful combination of Tracker’s technology and its exclusive partnership with the police forces across the U.K. Our success rate confirms Tracker as a superior security defence against determined thieves.”