GPS tracking systems are helping police find items stolen from building sites.
In a recent win for the technology, two Thornlie men were arrested after they allegedly stole a hot water system from a BGC construction site in Treeby on January 3.
Partnership Against Crime Taskforce (PACT), who manage and protect building sites from crime, fit the tracking systems to appliances such as hot water systems, ovens and whitegoods.
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READ NOWPACT’s Craig Pages-Oliver said the GPS sent an alert when the items moved out of a specified perimeter and tracked them to a new location, which was then forwarded to the police.
“Reporting is one of the most important and overlooked actions,” he said.
“It is critical to report incidents no matter how small, this allows WA Police to activate in the crime hot spots and support the builders on the ground.
“Construction crime has a very real costs, adding one per cent to the cost of the build, and with the average build cost around $257,000 that is $2,750.”
“There are also indirect costs such as increased insurance premiums, delayed building schedules, customer confidence and team morale.”