ACE in the pack in fight against construction and agricultural machinery theft

Deputy Chief Constable Amanda Blakeman, National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) lead for serious organised acquisitive crime, said the dedicated Agricultural and Construction Equipment (ACE) unit “is a really positive move” to disrupt the evolving threat of organised criminality.

The theft of equipment from construction sites and farms has a significant impact on the businesses targeted from both the loss and replacement of the equipment taken, in addition to the cost of temporarily reduced activity and downtime within these sectors.

The newly-established unit will be managed and operated within Opal, the national intelligence hub focused on serious organised acquisitive crime across the UK, allowing information to be shared between forces.

It will support the work of the Construction Equipment Association (CEA)-owned CESAR scheme, launched in 2007, which has had a major impact on criminality across both sectors, driving down theft significantly for machinery brands that have adopted the scheme.

Opal was set up in April 2019 under the governance of Deputy Chief Constable Blakeman. It has ten intelligence staff, including intelligence analysts and researchers, alongside police officers, under the day-to-day lead of Detective Superintendent Neil Austin.

The new unit will focus on the offences committed by organised crime groups, which police believe are part of a series and involve cross-border offending. By developing proactive working relationships with law enforcement, partner and business agencies, the ACE unit will work to reduce the theft of stolen plant and agricultural equipment and maximise its recovery, both nationally and internationally.

Officers will work to develop, collate and coordinate intelligence from a variety of sources to identify and disrupt organised criminality and target those involved in these thefts, and also identify any current and emerging crime trends and threats.

The ACE national intelligence hub team will work closely with industry, developing positive working relationships to support and promote schemes such as CESAR to prevent theft and maximise the recovery of stolen equipment.

Ms Blakeman said: “This is a really positive move to improve the response of UK policing in tackling the organised theft of plant and agricultural equipment.

“The investment will help develop a detailed intelligence picture, which will support forces in reducing criminality in this area. We are really grateful for the strong support of partners such as the CEA, the AEA (Agricultural Engineers Association) and the insurance industry and welcome their commitment to developing a strong working relationship moving forward.”

Detective Inspector Ernie Locke of Opal said the new ACE unit will benefit from its dedicated intelligence team.

He said: “By working smarter and in partnership with law enforcement agencies, government agencies, business and industry, and also academia it will deliver a whole system approach in tackling agriculture and construction equipment theft.

“By working collaboratively, sharing best practice and the timely sharing of information, the ACE unit will help reduce agricultural and construction equipment theft.

“It is anticipated that ACE team will continue to grow as their contribution is recognised in this area of criminality.”

Superintendent Andy Huddleston, NPCC lead for agricultural machinery theft, said the sharing of intelligence and targeting of organised crime groups in this specialist area of thefts “is key”.

“The launch of the ACE team will massively help the fight against agricultural machinery theft,” he added.

Deputy Chief Constable Debbie Ford, NPCC lead for wildlife crime and rural affairs, said the cost of agricultural machinery theft alone can exceed £30 million a year and tthe issue is growing all the time.

She said the importance of the ACE team “cannot be underestimated”, adding: “The effort that went into getting it up and running will hopefully pay dividends in tackling this serious issue.

“It’s really important to our communities we know the issues that affect our rural areas and this is a real opportunity to be a defining moment in tackling organised rural criminality.”

The unit is funded jointly with donations from the CEA, the AEA and a number of insurance companies, including Allianz, Aviva, Axa, HSB Engineering Insurance, NFU Mutual and QBE, that have a specific interest in the construction plant and agricultural sectors.

Rob Oliver, chief executive of the CEA, said: “Stakeholders throughout the industry have been keenly awaiting this initiative to come to fruition, so it is great that it is now in operation with the partnership with Opal.

“We will be engaging with companies and organisations, such as CITS (Combined Industry Theft Solutions), to support the work of ACE in what is an evolving criminal threat.”

Stephen Howarth agricultural economist at the AEA, added: “As well as the financial cost, theft of agricultural vehicles can be incredibly disruptive to farm businesses, who often need to carry out activities in a limited time window, often at short notice. Therefore, we welcome the new ACE team and look forward to working with them to drive down this significant element of rural crime.”

The ‘foundation’ launch of ACE, which was officially unveiled on Thursday (July 1), took place in April, when the new unit was introduced to police forces nationwide, key partners and collaborating trade associations.

The key message was that cross-industry cooperation was crucial for the success of the new unit, which will support the wider problem-solving approach through partnership working.

The first ‘in person’ meeting of the ACE team, manufacturers, operators, hirers and insurers will take place on July 22. The aim of the meeting will be to formally introduce the new ACE unit and discuss issues surrounding machinery theft.