Theft Case Study – A Weekend to Remember!

If you were to ask anyone at Global Telemetrics, whether a team member or one of our directors, “What’s the most rewarding part of the job?” 99% would say the same thing: it’s all about reuniting customers with their stolen vehicles. There’s nothing more satisfying than helping someone recover their stolen car, van, plant equipment, bike, or whatever it may be. It’s that moment of relief and joy when the victim gets their property back that truly drives us.

Whenever a theft is reported to our secure control centre, every member of our Stolen Vehicle Recovery Team has two things on their mind: how quickly can we retrieve the vehicle, and could there be other stolen vehicles at the scene? 

In October, the team had an especially busy weekend, recovering 13 vehicles in two separate theft incidents. 

At Global Telemetrics, we’re proud to be one of the only tracking companies with our own dedicated Auto-Crime Repatriations Team. Spanning the UK and with global reach through our network of contacts and agents, this specialised team dramatically increases the chance to recover stolen vehicles. Not only do we achieve higher success rates, but we also shorten the time it takes to track down, secure, and return vehicles to their rightful owners. Working closely with the police, our experienced team is able to attend theft scenes, secure the area, and act swiftly and safely.

The first incident that weekend involved a Range Rover Vogue, stolen in the Croydon area of London the previous day. Once our customer reported the theft and provided a crime reference number, we immediately passed the information to our Repatriations Team, who set off straight away. When they arrived at the location, it quickly became clear they were dealing with something much bigger than a single stolen vehicle, they had uncovered a full-scale ‘chop shop’. For those unfamiliar, a ‘chop shop’ is a garage or space where stolen vehicles are dismantled and stripped for parts to be sold.

This was just the start of a weekend that none of us will forget anytime soon.

In the event of a theft of an asset the following process will occur: 

1. Customer will report their vehicle stolen on our dedicated theft line/Global Telemetrics will ring the customer to make them aware of one of the alerts that our system generates (Vehicle moving without ignition, Battery disconnected, Driver Detection not present)
2. If not already obtained, customer will be advised to ring the police and obtain a crime reference number
3. Global Telemetrics work with our agents who work alongside the police to secure your asset. Upon a receipt of crime reference number, agents will attend the location of your vehicle
4. As a safety precaution, upon notifying Global Telemetrics of a theft all access to our apps is temporarily disabled. We will keep the owner informed of any updates so they can rest assured everything is in hand. Global Telemetrics will not provide customers with an exact location of the asset to avoid customers endangering themselves
5. When the vehicle is secured, Global Telemetrics will call the customer to confirm that the vehicle is safe, allowing for the customer to arrange collection.

When it comes to locating ‘chop shops,’ patience is often key. The police may take their time, ensuring they have sufficient officers on the scene or observing the location to see if additional stolen vehicles are brought in. This allows them to maximise the number of arrests and ensure they capture as many criminals as possible.

In the early hours of the morning, both the police and our Repatriations Team moved in on a suspected location. Upon entering, they identified not only our customer’s stolen vehicle but also five other high-value vehicles, all of which had been taken in separate thefts. Thanks to this successful recovery, these vehicles were able to be returned to their rightful owners. It was a major win for our in-house team and those working in the field, but the weekend’s events were far from over.

Later that evening, after the hectic nature of the morning had subsided, a call came into our Secure Control Centre from the police. They needed to know whether a particular vehicle had a tracker installed. Global Telemetrics works with many of the top finance companies across the UK, who rely on our tracking devices to protect their high-value assets.

In this case, the vehicle in question was none other than a Ferrari 488 Spider. It had been stolen during a burglary in Bradford. Without delay, we provided the police with the vehicle’s location and immediately alerted our Repatriations Team.

Both the police and our team arrived at the scene within minutes. With a helicopter overhead and officers on the ground, the police moved in. However, the situation escalated quickly as criminals armed with machetes attempted to confront both the police and our team. Despite the aggression, the scene was brought under control without injury, and arrests were made. Remarkably, just 12 minutes after the initial call, the Ferrari was confirmed as safe.

In addition to the Ferrari, a further six stolen vehicles were discovered at the chop shop. Thieves had already started dismantling the Ferrari in a desperate attempt to find the tracking device, but they were too late. With multiple arrests made and another chop shop shut down, it was certainly a weekend we won’t soon forget.

In September, Global Telemetrics successfully recovered £2.6 million worth of stolen vehicles for our customers. As we approach the end of the year and the darker evenings set in, we anticipate these figures will only rise. In fact, by the time of writing, October’s total has already surpassed September’s impressive results. For a detailed look at our September recoveries, check out our Recovery Roundup video below.

If you’d like to protect your vehicle with one of our SmarTrack tracking devices, feel free to contact us on 01530 275 920, email us at sales@globaltelemetrics.com, or visit our SmarTrack website.