Warning over spate of GPS thefts

Farmers have been warned following a spate of thefts of tractor GPS guidance systems which have been spreading across the country in recent months.

Leading rural insurer NFU Mutual yesterday revealed it had has joined forces with police and agricultural machinery manufacturers to tackle the surge in thefts of these expensive guidance systems.

The Mutual’s national technical engineering manager, Bob Henderson, said that across Europe, thefts of tractor GPS systems had been on the increase as criminals targeted these systems, with a special focus on the John Deere Starfire systems which can cost close to £8,000 to replace.

And as well as warning farmers to take extra security precautions with such systems – the loss of which could seriously disrupt field operations – they also urged any farmer being offered a secondhand system to rigorously check that GPS kits offered for sale outside dealer networks had not been stolen.

“As the main insurer of the UK’S farmers we are working with police and tractor manufacturers to tackle this worrying new crime trend.”

Superintendent Andy Huddleston, national police lead for agricultural machinery and vehicle thefts, said: “Making careful checks on the provenance of any GPS kit offered for sale outside the dealer network can stop criminals making money from these crimes and halt the surge.”

Huddleston also urged farmers to be very wary of buying GPS kits which have had serial number stickers removed.