Covid 19 has made 2020 a difficult and unpredictable year for many of us. Many UK counties are remaining in a state of restriction or lockdown. Therefore, it’s important to think about how you’ll keep your assets safe as Christmas approaches.
Despite roads being up to 70% quieter during the lockdown periods, vehicle crime has stayed consistently high. In fact, some areas such as Lincolnshire have shown vehicle crime rates increasing 35% during the lockdown. Many of these crimes have revolved around caravan and bike theft.
Unfortunately, even when parked up on your driveway, your vehicle is not safe. Many articles online will promote storing your assets in a garage. This is a luxury that not everyone has access to. Therefore, assets like bikes are often being left out and thieves have taken up ‘window shopping’ down local roads. Stephen White, acting police and crime commissioner for Durham states, “Some people rely on shoplifting […]. That’s harder as the shops are closed.”
As England approaches the end of its second lockdown of 2020, you may expect vehicle crime figures to lower. Sadly, this is not the case. The Bike Register reports that bike theft increased 48% at the end of the first lockdown (compared to June 2019). In the leadup to Christmas, there’s always a surge of new assets bought as presents. Bike Register’s Managing Director, James Brown, states “Some new bike owners who purchased their bikes during lockdown will not necessarily be aware of the recent rise of cycle crime and what measures they need to take to combat it”. He goes on to add, “As these restrictions are starting to ease and people are moving around more, criminals are facing an easier task, and they have the bonus of being able to target the thousands of new bikes bought during the last few months”.
There are protective measures you can put into place to ensure your assets are protected over the winter months. Pay as you Track provides tracking solutions so that you can leave your assets unattended with peace of mind. This is especially regarding businesses who can’t regularly check on their fleets due to local lockdowns and vehicle owners who want the assurance of knowing where their vehicles are. Pay as you track offer an array of trackers for anything from motorbikes and caravans to farm machinery and large fleets.
2021 is not the year to tie yourself into long unbreakable contracts, following the economic uncertainty that Covid 19 has brought. What separates us from any other tracker on the market is that you only pay for the days you want to track. You’re not tied into any contracts. Therefore, with our software, you can keep your assets safe over winter and keep yourself or your company out of financial strain in the future. You can stay safely assured of your vehicles location with features such daily location reports when stationary and add-on features such as our immobilisers.
https://www.bikeregister.com/news/bike-theft-spikes-as-lockdown-eases