The van belonging to Mr. Afzal was stolen from outside his home in Ilford, Essex in the early hours of the morning but was quickly recovered by the police in East London.
Mr Afzal, a local butcher, said: “I bought this van to replace another one that has been stolen a couple on months ago. To my horror, my new van was stolen within hours of bringing it home. Thankfully, I had a TRACKER device fitted to the replacement van, so the police were able to track and recover it before there had been any serious damage. In addition to facing a rise in the cost of my insurance premiums, I relay on my van for business, so losing another van would have had serious financial implications for me. Needless to say, I was thrilled it was recovered so quickly.”
“Eighteen months ago, there was a spike in Mercedes Sprinter thefts in the Essex and London areas,” added Adrian Davenport, police liaison manager at TRACKER. “These vans were being stolen to dismantle and ship overseas, usually to Eastern Europe, so Mr. Afzal is lucky that he had learnt from past experience and had a tracking device fitted.
“An SVR device may not stop a vehicle from being stolen but it does increase the chances of police recovering and returning the vehicle to its owner. TRACKER’s technology uses a combination of GSM, VHF and GPS meaning vehicles can be located even if they are underground, in garages or in shipping containers. TRACKER assists the police on a daily basis in tackling vehicle theft head on.”