Scooter stolen from Durham’s Arnison Center and recovered by Tracker

The thief illegally used a moped he had borrowed from charity Wheels 2 Work at the Arnison Center in Durham last month.

Unbeknownst to the thief, the SYM orbit scooter was equipped with a stolen vehicle recovery (SVR) unit from Tracker Network UK Ltd.

When activated, police were able to recover the escort vehicle in less than three hours.

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Wheels 2 Work’s scooter rental service provides essential support to County Durham residents to help them maintain or gain access to employment, education or training.

It helps those who would otherwise get into trouble because they either have no other means of transportation or face difficult public transport connections and after-hours shift schedules.

The scooter is valued at £2,500 and its loss would have a significant impact on the charity’s funds, as well as its ability to help residents with commuting to and from work, training and job interviews.

After the theft was reported to police by its owners on April 17, Tracker Network was quickly notified and its SVR device activated.

A police operations center in neighboring Northumbria used Tracker’s combination of VHF and GPS/GSM technology to locate the moped on the outskirts of Sunderland.

Officers visited the address and retrieved the stolen moped from a back yard just two hours and 37 minutes after the unit’s activation.

Wheels 2 Works Manager Liam Weatherill said: “We have 45 mopeds that we can lend to those who otherwise would not be able to commute to work.

“Due to the cost of living crisis, we are busier than ever and the loss of one of these vehicles would have a significant impact on our ability to provide this invaluable support.

“Each of our scooters is fitted with a tracker unit, including ten new ones that we have just ordered.

“This incident and the efficient recovery of our scooter proves it is a worthwhile investment in protecting our fleet and ensuring we can continue to support our community.”

READ ALSO: Yorkshire man jailed after putting tracking device on woman’s vehicle

Tracker’s SVR solutions are intended to function like an electronic homing device.

A covert transmitter is hidden in one of several dozen locations around the vehicle.

But since the antenna is not visible, would-be thieves are unaware of the tracker’s existence.

Tracker is said to be the only SVR provider backed by UK police forces nationwide, using the specialist technology to track, locate and recover stolen assets.

More than 2,000 police patrol cars and all police helicopters are equipped with detection units, which has resulted in the successful recovery of nearly nine out of ten stolen vehicles using the tracker device.

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Clive Wain, who heads police liaison at Tracker, said of the latest case: “We are waiting to hear if charges will be filed but we are delighted that the vehicle has been returned to the charity to do its important work can continue.” Supporting the local community.

“It demonstrates the powerful combination of tracker technology and its exclusive partnership with police forces across the UK.”

He added that the success rate confirmed Tracker’s reputation as a successful security guard against determined thieves.