With the number of thefts from closed trailers on the rise, more owners in Ontario are installing security devices such as GPS trackers. But as in a game of cat and mouse, thieves adapt and succeed in thwarting these extra measures.
In a 20-year career, trailer dealership owner Action trailersShane Thompson has never seen such a dramatic increase in the number of thefts from enclosed trailers.
Unfortunately, this has become very common, especially in the last five or six years
From this founder said StrathroyIn the suburbs London.
Almost every week we hear stories of people having their enclosed trailers stolen.
If they are stolen more often, especially because of their increasing value. An enclosed trailer that was once worth $3,000 is now worth $6,000
Explains Shane Thompson.
To solve this, owners use GPS trackers, which allow the police to follow the trail of thieves. But even these tools are sometimes not enough, as some employers are learning to their dismay.
Spent $4000 for nothing
Nicholas Waldram, who runs a gutter installation and repair company, was one of the unfortunate homeowners.
In September, one of his closed trailers was stolen from the front of his business.
Mr. Waldram later bought a replacement trailer, then spent $4,000 on police-recommended safety improvements, including installing a GPS tracker.
Nicholas Waldram invested $4,000 to protect his trailer, but it was stolen.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Launon Charpentier
Despite all that, his new trailer was also stolen on November 26.
A few hours after the truck left the commercial area in the south LondonGPS briefly indicated its location, at Strathroy. But soon the signal stopped.
The police did not find her.
Fighting at the cutting edge of technology
GPS trackers hidden in trailers are becoming less effective, as many thieves buy low-cost radio frequency detectors online from sites like Amazon. Shane Thompson.
These detectors can find a tracker and deactivate it within minutes.
People realize that it is easier to target a closed trailer than to steal a vehicle.
In response, the ownerAction trailers It has a new tracker to better fight against thieves. He is now doing business with the company KYCS.
KYCS Company specializes in recovery of closed trailers.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Launon Charpentier
The latter has created a tracker the size of a deck of cards disguised as a GPS tracker that only transmits location data briefly at fixed times.
Hence they are practically undetectable.
Their device also has an app that sends location data to the police in the event of a theft.
Mr. Thompson uses a device KYCS on each of its closed trailers and the strategy paid off: more than ten closed trailers were stolen from it, all of which were recovered by the police.
the owner ofAction trailers It also sells equipment to its customers.
Enclosed trailers are becoming increasingly popular with thieves as their value has increased in recent years.
Photo: Radio-Canada
Easy to resell
Once stolen, trailers can easily be resold, regrets Shane Thompson.
He explained that the Ontario Ministry of Transportation does not require a serial number to register hand-built enclosed trailers.
People wishing to register a trailer need only show identification, unless the trailer weighs more than 900 kilograms when empty.
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The DIY trailer designation was created for the few people who build their own trailers, but Mr Thompson believes it is now a loophole that thieves can exploit.
If I steal an enclosed trailer, I can register it with the department as a craft trailer and own it without you knowing it’s a stolen trailer.
All these factors, he said, make trailer theft a relatively low-risk way for criminals to enrich themselves.
Enclosed trailers have become popular items for thieves as they cost more and more. Thus the robbery is increasing
he concluded.
With information from Launan Charpentier and Andrew Lupton
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