Collaboration aims to reduce number of agricultural machinery and vehicle thefts in Gloucestershire.

AX Track, the vehicle tracing and recovery experts, is offering its stolen vehicle tracking service to farming communities in Gloucestershire to fight back against thieves targeting the area.

Offered at a substantially discounted rate, the collaboration with Gloucestershire Police - which secured Home Office funding through the Police and Commissioner's Office to part fund the AX Track service - is aiming to reduce agricultural machinery and vehicle crime in the county.

By partnering with Gloucestershire Police, the aim is to reduce thefts in the county and bring those responsible to justice, with rural crime being a major focus in the Police and Crime Prevention Plan for Gloucestershire 2021-2025

The initiative will support Gloucestershire Police in tracing farming machinery and vehicles which are stolen, helping to reduce the pressure on limited resources while ensuring that farmers do not lose valuable machinery that is critical to their operations.

AX Track has developed a comprehensive portfolio of technology-driven solutions supported by an experienced team of stolen vehicle recovery specialists.

It will track every piece of agricultural machinery and every farming vehicle stolen across Gloucestershire which has AX Track technology installed, even if they are taken across the county border. The AX Track team will work closely with police resources and help to expose locations, properties and individuals linked to rural crime.

The initiative was officially launched with a live demonstration to landowners today in Dumbleton, near Tewkesbury, The ground-breaking project is designed to help harden the county, deter criminals from stealing machinery and ensure it is recovered if taken without permission.

Neil Thomas, director of investigative services at AX Track, said: "This trailblazing initiative will make a real contribution to reducing rural theft in Gloucestershire. Agricultural machinery is hugely expensive and absolutely essential to farmers and their livelihoods.

"By collaborating with Gloucestershire Police, together we will also increase public confidence and demonstrate that private industry partners can make a valuable contribution to communities.

"The initiative is an example of The Police and Crime Prevention Plan for Gloucestershire 2021-25 in action, which is great to see and sets a template for other counties. This is among the first collaboration of this nature that we've established with a UK police force. Further enhancing its credibility, AX Track is also endorsed by the Police Secured by Design initiative.

"The machinery and vehicles targeted by criminals are very valuable, and as prices increase, we could be seeing more crime of this nature if we don't tackle it head on. In the first nine months of 2019, Gloucestershire saw 413 vehicle thefts (all types), and even during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 we saw 285 thefts during the same period."

Gloucestershire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Chris Nelson said: "The impact of crime is often greater on victims in the countryside due to their remote and isolated locations, making them feel more vulnerable and anxious. It also poses a threat to public health and safety, as well as animal welfare.

"The scale, cost, social impact and other effects of crime in rural areas are underestimated, under-reported and not fully understood. As a result, farming communities are facing fear and intimidation from groups of criminals."

Gained through its Police Preferred Specification accreditation standard, AX Track is a member of Secured by Design, the official UK Police Service security initiative. It has been working with the group to aid its efforts in tackling vehicle crime, a significant contributor to overall UK crime rates.