Car crime soared in the opening month of the year as a total of 375,001 vehicle incidents were recorded in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in 2019. January joins March, April, May and October as the top five worst months for vehicle crime but the opening month tops the list as the most prolific period.
A total of 11 percent of all vehicle crimes recorded in 2019 took place in January, according to UK police data analysed by Click4Reg.
Simple things such as removing any High Value Good from the vehicle – satnavs, money, phones, handbags or wallets will lower the chances of break ins. Here are three tips on how to further minimise the risk:
Installing a dash camera is a great deterrent these days as many use motion detection, or sleep mode recording.
With the advances in GPS technology we’re able to locate assets in more remote places such as container units, warehouses and in some cases underground car parks. Taking the advantage away from the thieves. Installing a recognised branded tracking unit can save you thousands on insurance and increase the chances of having the vehicle returned.
Adding the extra option to have the vehicle remotely immobilized is a very wise choice, the user is able to text the tracker to shut off the power on the next engine off cycle, meaning the vehicle will no longer start up, until the user sends another code to re-engage on recovery of the asset. This will limit the distance the vehicle can travel after theft. Allowing the owner to set up recovery option with the local police.
Vehicles with keyless entry / ignition will benefit from owning an RFID pouch. RFID pouches use electromagnetic fields to stop incoming and outgoing frequencies that thieves would usually use to open and get away with your vehicle.
RFID pouches are available from Amazon UK from as little as £5.”
Stats source: https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1224928/car-crime-january-vehicle-thefts-uk-thieves-criminals-regions-map
Airports are busy transport hubs. Take Doncaster Sheffield airport, one of our clients. Almost 1.5m passengers are set to fly this year alone. Thousands of vehicles operate landside and airside. Amongst the hustle and bustle, safety, security and efficiency are top priorities for airport operators. Simplytrak has developed a bespoke tracking and surveillance system – AIM – which is designed to mitigate runway incursion.
When an airplane lands, refuelers, interserve teams, and the swissport teams are moving on the airfield to carry out their jobs. Vehicles have to cross the runway – the area designated for landing and taking-off of aircraft. The UK Civil Aviation Authority has identified “runway incursion” as one of its priorities for safety action.
AIM’s unique geofencing solution was designed with airport runway requirements in mind. The airside incursion mitigation system has the ability to set up zones at any location on the airfield. By using these geo-fences, the system warns management if an airside vehicle is in or near a sensitive or restricted area. It also immediately warns the driver if there is the potential for a runway incursion. They must stop and contact air traffic control.
‘Communication’ is often cited as a contributing factor to incursion incidents. AIM’s system uses a GPS tracking system in conjunction with a GPS-enabled on-board micro-computer that keeps recording and alerting the driver when a zone-breech occurs– even if signal reception fails.
‘Human error’ also leads to accidents on the runway. Simplytrak’s AIM system provides an easy-to-use, accessible software and hardware to minimise the human factor element.
Airports don’t just have traffic on the airfield. Buses transport passengers and other items landside. Applying on-board vehicle surveillance in the form of cameras can provide visual record of how incidents happen.
Reviewing the camera footage to see why there have been delays or damage to the vehicles can identify problem areas. Data recorded by AIM and the cameras is digitally stored. This provides hugely valuable information to airports from a compliance perspective as well.
The list of compliance checks for airports is long. Simplytrak’s AIM system and all tracking and camera solutions provide an easy-to-use digital software that both drivers and management have access to. All data is stored digitally and immediately available to analyse. Ready for the next compliance check.
Some airports already use telematics to encourage improved driver behaviour and accountability. They present results in league tables highlighting the best and worst performing organisations. Adding a competitive element to the use of telematics has proven to be of great success in the transport sector as well.
Given airport’s specific requirements for safety, security and efficiency, Simplytrak is uniquely positioned to provide solutions.
To find out how our bespoke solutions can help you or to request a demo, get in touch with me.
Simplytrak, the East Yorkshire-based fleet management software company behind the device, are familiar with this method of vehicle recovery and specialise in helping their customers in similar situations. Ian Wood, Simplytrak’s new Managing Director, explains:
“Motion detection is one of the many options that come with our trackers and is becoming increasingly important for businesses who want to protect their vehicles.
“As well as detecting when the ignition is switched on and off, our trackers continue to track the location of a vehicle when the engine is off. This means we can still alert the owners when a vehicle is moving even if, like in this example, the vehicles are loaded onto a wagon and taken off site.”
On this occasion, the thieves thought they had done enough to disable the trackers by disconnecting them from the quad bike batteries, however, what they weren’t planning on was the emergency power supply that kept the trackers in full operational mode for long enough for the Misson Organic Dairying Ltd to spring into action.
The quad bikes were leased from Richard Platt Farming, who supplies various vehicles to agriculture businesses. Mr Platt said:
“The agriculture industry uses a range of vehicles such as quad bikes, which are often seen as an easy target for thieves.
“That’s why I recommend that all the vehicles I supply have the Simplytrak system installed, complete with motion detection – offering customers peace of mind that they’re getting a secure vehicle to reduce the risk of business disruption.”
Joel Rathbone from Misson Organic Dairying Ltd added:
“We’re extremely grateful to Richard Platt and the team at Simplytrak for helping us use the system to its full potential to recover these vehicles. This is a busy time of year for us and all our vehicles are important to the running of the farm. We’d be lost without them.”
Following the theft, motion detection alerts have been set up in case the thieves come back and try again. During set times, if the vehicles move when the farm know they shouldn’t be moving, an SMS/email alert will be sent to Mr Rathbone at the farm so they can act quickly to keep tracks on them.
According to the Rural Crime Report 2018 from NFU Mutual, the cost of agricultural vehicle theft and quad/ATV theft last year was £5.9m and £2.3m respectively, meaning much needs to be done to tackle this increasing threat.
Effective vehicle tracking is just one of the ways in which farmers should be looking to protect their assets in 2019.
Using custom maps and high accuracy zoning created specifically for Exeter Airport, the management team can monitor all AIM-equipped vehicles on a screen and can receive alerts when vehicles are speeding, braking harshly or about to enter incursion boundaries.
A low visibility procedure (LVP) mode can be activated during adverse weather conditions at the click of a mouse, ensuring stricter safety operations can be performed and new wider incursion boundaries are used.
A runway incursion is defined as “any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take-off of aircraft”. AIM is designed to reduce these instances and increase airfield safety.
Runway incursions can occur whenever there is a breakdown in communications or situational awareness at an airport. They can be caused by pilots, air traffic controllers, vehicle operators, or people working on an airfield, regardless of their level of training or experience.
The AIM system provides airports with a full suite of alerts, alarms and reports that highlights potentially dangerous activities. It also verifies compliance checks and provides the CAA inspectors with full visual playback along with a download of the airside fleet inspection and maintenance activity.
Our CEO Andrew Johnson said: “We’re delighted that Exeter Airport (who are part of the Regional & City Airports Group) have decided go ahead with a full installation of the AIM system following a successful trial. Runway incursions can lead to serious accidents so it’s great to see airports taking steps to reduce the likelihood of such incidents occurring.”
Exeter Airport started their trial in July 2018 and are planning to install the AIM system in across their airside vehicle fleet.
During the trial, we worked with the airport to customise the user interface for the airports particular requirements and the demonstration offered to the management team enabled them to amend their own airside geofence zones to suit their needs.
Exeter Airport has joined Doncaster Sheffield and Durham Tees Valley as the latest UK airport to adopt the AIM system. It’s also currently in advanced trials at Cork and East Midlands airports.
The driver, who was delivering parcels on behalf of online retail giant Amazon, was dragged from the vehicle before the thieves drove away. Luckily, he didn’t suffer any injury as a result.
Immediately after receiving notification of the theft, Practical’s director Naz Akram called the Simplytrak customer helpline.
He said: “Fortunately, the van was fitted with a tracker which has the functionality to immobilise the vehicle once the engine is turned off. So, I called Simplytrak to inform them of the incident.
“The Simplytrak team were excellent and they started tracking the van, so we knew where it was and then remotely immobilised the vehicle, so we were able to recover it.”
Immobilisation works by remotely sending a signal to the tracking device, which is wired up to the vehicle’s electrical supply, enabling users to cut the power to the engine to prevent the ignition from being turned on.
Upon recovery of the vehicle, Mr Akram noticed that the interior light and roof lining had been ripped out. These are areas where some other models of vehicle trackers are often located.
Simplytrak’s business development manager, Ian Wood, explains why their trackers are harder to locate: “Vehicle thieves are getting wiser and they know that tracking devices are becoming more popular, particularly in larger fleets.
“This is why our trackers are carefully concealed in a way that makes them difficult to locate so we never lose track of our customers’ assets, which is so important when immobilising and safely recovering vehicles.”
This incident came just days after the Sheffield branch of the Practical franchise experienced a similar theft. But the Simplytrak immobilisation feature came to the rescue then as well.
Practical’s Mr Akram added: “There’s a strong partnership between Practical and Simplytrak and quite a lot of the franchisees use them for tracking.
“Occasions like this really show the value of the system but what’s impressed us the most is the customer service we’ve received from the team at Simplytrak. They helped us to immobilise and recover this van swiftly, even on a weekend.”
Practical Car & Van Rental New Milton contacted Simplytrak after the event to consult if there was a way to prevent a similar event occurring. The Simplytrak team added geofences around restricted areas and ports which then alerted Practical New Milton if their fleet was at risk of leaving the country without prior consent.
Jon Wakefield, Managing Director at Practical Car & Van Rental New Milton commented,
“Once again we were able to use the immobilisation feature to our advantage until we made contact with the customer. The Simplytrak team were extremely helpful working with us to assist with future prevention. They created restricted areas in the system that now alert us before our vans potentially leave the country.”
Ian Wood, Business Development Manager at Simplytrak added,
“Our dedicated team regularly work with customers to assist them in utilising different areas of the system to improve their businesses. We’re happy that we were able to come up with a solution for the team at New Milton and that the Simplytrak system also ensured the safe return of their vehicle”.
At Simplytrak we are delighted to be able to offer our unlimited geofencing feature as part of vehicle tracking package at no extra charge. Get in touch for a quote and you might be surprised how small the cost is for peace of mind for your business. For more information on our fleet management system please contact Ian Wood our Business Development Manager at E: ian@simplytrak.com or on T: 01430879197.