Australian Boat Owners Encouraged to Purchase GPS Tracking Devices
28 Jul 2016Following an increase in thefts on the Australian coast, police are advising boat owners to protect their watercrafts by installing GPS tracking devices on them.
Thieves made off with four boats on the Bellarine Peninsula in towns including St. Leonards, Queenscliff and Portarlington.
Grant Langmaid, Bellarine sergeant, said the thefts appeared to be random and police were not sure if any of them were linked.
He said the increase was significant and they didn’t know if there was a pattern or organization running it. He said the thefts occurred all over the peninsula on both the north and south side.
Occurrences include the daylight theft of an Extreme 570 game King fishing boat, Ford Ranger and silver Easytow trailer which was parked in a front yard in St. Leonards on June 12 during the Queen’s Birthday long weekend.
Another incident included a boat theft in on Hesse St in Queenscliff between June 3 and 10 in a backyard where the thieves broke it the backyard to steal it.
And the most recent occurrence was in Golden Grove, Portarlington in a backyard between June 19 and 20, where a large boat on a trailer was stolen overnight.
With the string of thefts, boat and car owners are being asked to install GPS trackers on their property. They are fairly small and can be placed anywhere pretty easily.
According to Sgt Langmaid, car and boat owners need to take fewer risks and be extra vigilant with their assets. He says they are pushing the message that these thefts are really happening out to people so they can take precautions and safeguard their assets. He feels that at the moment, they are still a trusting society and precautions have to be taken since these are ‘opportunistic’ crimes whether they are being scouted or followed home.
People are being encouraged to lock their garage doors, don’t leave their keys in the ignition and install GPS tracking to ensure the security of their assets.
GPS tracking devices have helped many people retrieve their stolen belongings. They make it easier for law enforcement to locate the exact location of the stolen property, retrieve it, and make an arrest.
If you own a boat, consider protecting your asset with a GPS tracking device from LiveView GPS.
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