Weather update GPS theft
GPS theft keeps the sector in its grip
Many contracting companies and arable farmers are well aware of this fear. In April there came notifications from Zeeland, Noord-Brabant and Groningen and 1 month later, more and more companies are affected by GPS theft. Now it's not just John Deere systems. The political and contracting organization Cumela is calling on the police to take action.
In a short time, the gps thieves worked for a large number of companies in the Netherlands. There are reports from Zeeland, North Brabant, Flevoland, Groningen, Friesland, Gelderland, Overijssel and Drenthe. John Deere is popular among the thieves' guild because of its interchangeability. However, the most recent wave was less strict. Also systems from Trimble and Raven were stolen.
Wider Thefts
The thieves didn't stop at the GPS terminals alone. Meanwhile, Isobus terminals have also been stolen, including from Kverneland and Amazone. These are much more deployable and usually do not have a subscription for their use. They are therefore easy to use elsewhere. Sometimes the recipient is also included, but often it remains with the screens.
The suppliers and manufacturers are still in the dark about where the thieves come from and where the systems are. A series of vans and cars with a Swiss registration number have been spotted in several places in the Netherlands. Branch organization Cumela therefore calls on you to be alert and to take photos of suspicious vehicles. The common view is that the thieves come from Eastern Europe, where the systems are also being built for sale. There they can be used again, without an RTK correction signal. If a stolen system is reported, the manufacturer will be notified immediately.
50 systems
cumela treasure in that up to and including the end of May 20 to 25 companies nationwide have been affected. It concerns at least 50 stolen systems. The damage is in the millions of euros. Since the entrepreneurs report to their local police station, the exact size is unknown. After a parliamentary question, Ferdinand Grapperhaus, Minister of justice, know that the national police apparatus will do more to track down the thieves. It is now clear that this is an organized crime.
Despite the size, in which more than 1 systems were stolen from 10 Zeeland company, very little has been recovered. Therefore, the suspicion arises that the stolen systems are being dismantled for loose parts or valuable metals. It is known in at least 1 case that a Dutch entrepreneur from Lithuania was offered the stolen GPS screens via Whatsapp. After checking the serial numbers, it turned out to be indeed stolen systems.
Also data gone
Besides the theft of the system, there can be more dire consequences. The parcel data of several years (such as AB lines) have disappeared in one fell swoop, making the problems much bigger. Sometimes this data is stored in a cloud service, but that is not always the case. The insurer will reimburse the system, but not the lack of data.
Manufacturers are trying to make the systems easily interchangeable, because that way they can be quickly exchanged between the vehicles. Unfortunately, stealing such a screen in this way is a breeze. In practice, it happens all too often that the barn door at the front is locked, but a wicket door at the rear is open. Therefore, always lock all doors and gates. In the event of theft, there is burglary damage, which the insurer asks about. They too are looking more closely at the case now that it is becoming more frequent.
Precautionary measures
Take many precautions. Watch for suspicious situations and report them to the police. Security cameras can also be registered with the police so that they can use the images. Make sure that the insurance is in order and that all systems are insured; certainly companies with multiple systems do not feel like having to dismantle terminals every evening. If the tractor is in the barn or in the field, for example during irrigation, always remove all systems from the cabin. Also make sure you have recent backups of all GPS data.
Niels van der Boom
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