Radius Telematics sees spike in vehicle theft during coronavirus crisis

Radius Telematics has seen a big increase in the thefts of commercial vehicles since the coronavirus lockdown. With many offices, factories and construction sites unattended, thieves appear to be taking advantage of unattended locations.

According to Radius, vehicles and plant not equipped with GPS security devices that detect and track unauthorized movement are especially vulnerable as the thefts may go unreported for many days or even weeks.

Radius Telematics acquired two companies in 2019 that had a substantial proportion of their business in vehicle and plant security — both are reporting significant spikes in thefts.

Radius Telematics encompasses telematics brands Kinesis, UK Telematic, Plant-I, Sure-Track, CyntrX and Key Telematics. Altogether, Radius companies track more than 250,000 vehicles across the globe, with security devices fitted to 27,000 assets ranging from generators to vans, mini-diggers and earth moving trucks.

Many are equipped with Theft Recovery Trackers, small covert wireless devices with movement and tamper alarms. Once activated, the asset is automatically tracked to ensure that stolen assets are recovered quickly and efficiently.

“From security tracker alerts, we have seen a doubling in plant and van theft since the lockdown began,” said said Greville Coe, managing director of Radius Telematics. “It’s incredible that when we are all self-isolating and worrying about a deadly virus, crime is being committed while people and organizations are so vulnerable.”

One particularly disturbing theft was of a van stolen from a hospice for the terminally ill. The incident in Coventry, UK, saw a property belonging to a hospice ransacked and the theft of a hospice van. Fortunately, the vehicle was fitted with a Sure-Track tracker previously donated by Radius Telematics and the vehicle was safely recovered after three days. The Wireless Theft Recovery Tracker allowed the Radius nationwide finder network to accurately track the movements and whereabouts of the stolen vehicle.

“It’s shocking that thieves would target a charity caring for the terminally ill in what is an exceptionally difficult time,” Coe said. “Radius Telematics tracking services remain fully operational irrespective of the travel and business restrictions imposed due to the Coronavirus crisis. We hope we can help to ensure that essential services can be delivered with minimal disruption.”

Radius Telematics is a newly branded group formed within Radius Payment Solutions. The new telematics division incorporates a number of telematics-related businesses including their own Kinesis-branded vehicle tracking and previous acquisitions including Plant-i, UK Telematics and Sure-Track.