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Five stolen quad bikes were recovered by gardaí from Athy during a search in north Kildare on Monday 1 February.
Ballitore suckler and tillage farmer Carmel Lawlor reported her Honda quad stolen on 27 January. Lawlor informed gardaí that a tracker had been installed on the €12,000 quad when it was purchased two years ago.
“The tracker is fundamentally a sim card that will text you the current location of the bike. I handed over the details to gardaí and they were able to locate the quads from there,” Lawlor told the Irish Farmers Journal.
“We picked the quad up on Friday and we’re so grateful to gardaí for their efforts. The quad is in good condition but we suspect the thieves interfered with the starting mechanism and used it as it’s a bit dirty.”
Swift response
During the search, gardaí also recovered a vehicle believed to be used in the transport of the stolen quads.
One male was arrested and charged to appear at Naas District Court in February.
Lawlor has praised the efforts of gardaí for their rapid response and support.
“Credit where credit’s due. The gardaí were super in this situation and were extremely professional. They took control of the tracker, recovered the quads in a professional manner.
“We all can be quick to condemn them when rural crime spins out of control but in this instance I have to take my hat off to them.”
Lawlor has advised other farmers to consider installing a tracker on their machinery.
“I have to recommend to other farmers and machinery owners to consider trackers. They cost a couple of hundred euro but without one in our case it’s unlikely our quad would ever have been found.”
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