Plant theft into overdrive as Credit Crunch kicks in

• 
• 25th June 2009
• Materials Handling
 

The plant security company Satrak reports that the credit crunch has sparked an unprecedented rise in equipment thefts.

Increased demand from across Europe for cheap ‘hot' machines has seen the company busier than ever before with the prevention and recovery of stolen equipment.

The scale of the problem was illustrated by the amount of equipment Satrak recovered on one weekend during November in places as far away as Romania.

On the Friday a 3CX and Loadall were tracked to a large warehouse in the South Yorkshire countryside. The police arrived to find a fully operational ‘stolen for export' business. As well as the machines that had been tracked a further two tele-handlers and a backhoe loader were also found. All these machines were returned to their relieved owners.

Witnesses commented that "curtain-siders had been running in and out of the warehouse at night for two weeks". As luck would have it one of the wagons arrived to pick up the next illegal load and the Lithuanian wagon and its occupants were arrested by the waiting police.

On the Saturday, Satrak was again involved in a multiple machine recovery this time across Europe in Romania. A JCB 8014 and two compaction plates had been falsely hired, and taken through Europe all the way to an abandoned saw mill in northern Romania.

Satrak immediately contacted Interpol to arrange for local police assistance.

Then a team from ‘Satrak Romania' entered the premises with local police support and discovered the stolen equipment. Also found in the mill were a Case and Manitou tele-handler, both stolen from south east England.

Satrak managing director Dan Walton said " Plant thieves in this country are now increasing their exports as the "credit crunch" hits the domestic market. A weak pound also means exporting stolen equipment to the continent is more profitable that ever."

Satrak UK Ltd
8 Arena Park
Scarcroft
Leeds
W Yorkshire
LS15 8ZA
UK

T: 01132 896900