A-Plant recovers stolen excavator in Germany

A-Plant has successfully recovered a stolen excavator in Germany following an operation involving police forces in the UK and Germany, A-Plant's security partner Enigma Vehicle Systems, and the UK's Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit (PANIU).

A-Plant uses Enigma Vehicle Systems' satellite tracking system - called A-Trak by the rental company - and it was this system that alerted Enigma and A-Plant to the location of a stolen excavator in Germany. German police in Gotha, Thuringia were contacted by PANIU and they eventually arrested two Polish citizens on a highway near Nohra.

Asif Latief, marketing director at A-Plant, said: "This is a fantastic example of stolen plant being recovered and it shows that thieves cannot beat the system even when they take machines abroad.

"Over 95% of stolen A-Plant equipment protected with A-Trak is recovered, which is a remarkable statistic considering that the industry average of stolen plant recovery is only 5-10%."

The head of PANIU, DC Ian Elliott, said: "A-Trak is an excellent system and it helps make policing so much easier when it comes to recovering stolen plant. This system makes a real difference to us and the benefits to police are significant - we are now able to pinpoint exact movements and locations of machines and actually arrest the criminals responsible.

"With A-Trak, A-Plant is able to protect their customers' interests and save all their on-costs for the loss of equipment."