John Deere GPS units stolen from four tractors

Four John Deere Starfire GPS guidance systems have been stolen from tractors in three separate incidents in Co Meath in recent weeks. Three were stolen from two farmers in the Navan area and one from the Julianstown area.

The units include GPS receivers, processors and display screens, and are worth up to €10,000 each.

They are increasingly fitted to larger tractors used by tillage farmers and contractors.

In May 2019, three John Deere dealerships were broken into and had Starfire GPS units worth up to €150,000 stolen.

Tractor dealers now generally remove the GPS units from tractors they have on display and store the units indoors

Two of these units were recovered after being advertised for sale on e-bay in the United States. Detectives from the Garda Stolen Vehicle Unit liaised with police in Minnesota, which resulted in the recovery of the two units.

Tractor dealers now generally remove the GPS units from tractors they have on display and store the units indoors. They are also recording serial numbers of units.

This increases the chances of having any stolen item recovered and returned to the owner.

Stolen quads

Up to 100 quads and ATVs are stolen annually, but only 40% have their serial numbers recorded by the owners, said Detective Garda Eugene O’Sullivan of the Stolen Vehicle Unit.

His unit recently assisted gardaí in the Mullinagar, Portlaoise and Dundalk districts in searches which recovered nine stolen quad bikes.

Another simple but effective way of discretely marking property for an owner is to etch their Eircode or postcode on to the interior panels

However, Detective Garda O’Sullivan said despite extensive enquiries with the manufactures and dealerships, only one of these quads was able to be identified. It had been stolen from a farmer in Co Armagh a month previously.

Another simple but effective way of discretely marking property for an owner is to etch their Eircode or postcode on to the interior panels.

Detective Garda O’Sullivan said that there has been an increase in the theft of quad bikes and larger power tools since the easing of COVID-19 travel restrictions.