Toilet Thief Caught with GPS Tracking Technology
12 Apr 2016When you think of things that thieves steal, a toilet probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. Well, in Washington, that’s exactly what a thief stole – a toilet.
When four of the biggest home builders in Washington noticed that equipment and materials was going missing from their job sites, they decided to take action. The builders tagged their equipment and materials with GPS tracking units in hopes that they would deter theft from their buildings. This type of theft costs the building industry millions of dollars every year and these Washington-based builders were tired of having what rightfully belonged to them stolen.
The builders, which include BGC, the ABN Group, JWH and Summit Homes, are all members of the Busted WA Alliance. This alliance aims to deter thieves – many of whom are tradespeople who work on the sites – from stealing tools and equipment from Perth area building sites.
Nina Hobson, a spokeswoman for Alliance, told Radio 6PR that her security company, Meridian Services, outfitted a collection of items that were located on construction sites, including water meters, copper and white goods, with GPS tracking devices. It turns out that the security company, Meridian Services, made the right decision to install GPS tracking devices. A Yanchep man was recently charged with theft after he allegedly took a toilet that was fitted with a GPS tracking chip. The toilet was stolen from a new housing development on March 16.
As soon as the toilet was confiscated, the GPS tracking device notified the security company that the toilet was on the move. The security company was able to pinpoint where the toilet had been moved to and they were able to alert the police. The trackers that were used are so accurate, in fact, that the police could actually pinpoint exactly which room it was located in the house.
When a warrant was issued by the police, the house where the toilet was located was found to be like an Aladdin’s Cave for anyone who works in the construction industry. Upon entering the room, the police discovered that it was filled to the brim with various construction tools and materials, including:
- Toilets
- Nuts
- Sinks
- Bolts
- Sealants
Pretty much anything that would be put into a new house was found in the thief’s room.
Thanks to GPS tracking devices, the construction industry may finally be able to reduce the amount of lost products and lost money, which costs the industry and enormous amount of money.
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