Ideas about theft...

[easy-lift guy]

Thanks treequip, do any local or regional people holding office care to become involved in this matter?, do you have any information regarding contact info. about " national crime unit"? Thanks for your assistance.

[Les Cork]

Hi

It is very different here in the UK to the USA, our police have no guns, no rights and there are not enough of them, shortly there will be even less as there is a movement to reduce all police during next 2 years as we can't afford to run them.

 

I agree it is unacceptable that these thefts continue and have asked several times why the main manufacturer's don't start a national register which would be linked to an international register of all machines with a stamped code including area code details put onto the main chassis at time of sale. This is not a hard thing to do, it would mean that any machine outside it's area would alert the register and if all specialist dealers joined only spare parts would be sold to bona fida machines from bona fida dealers. This would mean that keeping a nicked machine going would be a problem and reduce the appeal, the risk of being caught would be greater and any machine out of it's area would be reported to police unless the user could show ID.

Now anyone interested to lobby Stihl, Husky, all chipper companies, stump grinder mfg's to put this in place. it would mean brand stamping, and again all dealers uploading the sale details to the mfg company concerned, this database itself would pay for the exercise as they could use the info to market new products.

 

Of course this would mean that any machine tampered with was dodgy and any dealer caught supplying parts for a machine without a registration would lose their dealership.

 

I work in the industry for Blount [Oregon] supplying dealers throughout the UK and i can tell you that they are fed up being robbed too and would welcome this move.

 

If the machines go abroad then the same applies, this would give the thieves something to think about.

It's not a solution but it would cause any would be buyer to consider that they might get caught and their machine reported to the Police.

[easy-lift guy]

Dear Les, It can and usually starts with one company making a difference for the end consumer and an industry as a whole. Who can I contact within Blout, Oregon to make this happen now. The technology is there and the need is really needed. Please advise. You may also send me a private email if you wish. Lets try and make this work for the members of ArbTalk.

Best Regards

easy-lift guy.

[Mayhem inc.]

Hilti have got a similar system, when you buy a tool from them it goes on a register, if it gets reported stolen and whoever buys it trys to get it repaired or serviced then hilti call the ob, not foolproof obviously, only works if they take it back to hilti but its a start.

 

they also do a keypad system, you need to key in the code for the tool to work, bit like an immobilser on a car, cant see too much difference with saws, or they do a security card that you swipe the tool to unlock it.

 

im sure these systems could be bypassed eventually but it slows the toe rags down, also the more oppertunist thieves may be put off.

[easy-lift guy]

Thanks Mayhem Inc. Great info towards working out a viable plan of action.

[Lorry thompson]

hi guys i always wonder where all the stolen chippers go ? becouse lets face it its only tree people who use them ! i do say tree people loosely , maybe police should more proactive in stopping any one towing a chipper especially unmarked scrap type transits with irish number plates ? or is anyone bothered as it is just another insurance claim ie ,,give you a crime number off you go ?

 

I'm very suprised that I've never been stopped with my chipper even when doing night shifts or when I bought it driving home in the middle of the night passing patrol cars. It wouldn't bother me either as at least I'd know they are checking.

[easy-lift guy]

My guess is they go to a chop shop and end up in former eastern block countries or China, for hard cash. Here in the states certain people from at least 10 different countries on a daily basis attend car auctions they purchase thousands of seemingly worthless looking cars typically sold for scrap. Since this is an auction the amount of money generated for the owners and auctioneer is very high. These cars are being strip down and shipped back over to China for a rebuild. I have this information on good authority since my cousin works for a company that strips out old autos for salvage. Stopping chippers and asking for paper work to prove ownership would be a good idea, however it would require a lot of man power. A national register would be more use full with a bar code system set up just like toll passes here in the states. My opinion.