Construction machinery and equipment are again on top of the list for organised criminal networks, and Scandinavia has seen multiple incidents lately where expensive equipment has been taken.
Photo: collage from news sites
“Stole tools for hundreds of thousands, Norwegian police to Romania to see stolen goods and Led to a mountain of stolen goods”. These are some of the headlines that has been dominating the news lately.
The articles in the picture are taken from Norwegian, Swedish and Danish newspapers, and show that the number of thieves who enter construction sites or businesses again are a growing trend.
Due to the many thefts recently, the Norwegian police among others have created its own departments that will work specifically to reveal this type of crime. Previously, the focus was on thefts from private households, but now the trend has changed. According to the police, the risk of being taken and prosecuted for thefts from construction sites has been very small.
Tonje Reiten, who leads the newly established department says to the Norwegian broadcasting corporation NRK that they on this basis decided to put a larger effort into taking and presecuting the people behind the many burglaries and thefts.
Tracking betters the security and holds the thieves accountable
The technology company GSGroup, with its origins in the south of Norway, has since the early 1990's worked on developing products that can track down lost or stolen objects. CEO Espen Virik Ranvik says they notice that there is a change in what the criminals are looking for.
- Unfortunately, we have many examples of thieves entering and removing equipment for significant amounts of money from construction sites and elsewhere where the number of machines and tools are large. The fact that the equipment itself has a cost is one thing, but this will in turn lead to lost income before any new equipment is in place again and the work can be resumed, Ranvik tells.
GSGroup is now represented with offices in nine European countries, which gives the customer a sense of security even if stolen objects are taken out of the country. Ranvik says they work closely with both the police and the insurance industry and believe the cooperation is important to stop the thieves.
- Our partner network extends across Europe, enabling us to track down stolen objects wherever they go. The cooperation with both the police and the insurance industry is something that all parties benefit from. Here, the best of synergies between people and technology is used to stay one step ahead of organized crime, concludes Ranvik.
Link to the articles in the main photo/collage:
https://www.nrk.no/norge/politiet-til-romania-for-a-se-pa-norsk-tyvegods-verdt-millioner-1.14502778 https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/smaland/byggindustrin-forlorar-miljonbelopp-pa-stolder-varje-ar
https://www.jv.dk/esbjerg/Indbrudsboelge-i-Bramming-Kostbart-vaerktoej-stjaalet/artikel/2703001
https://www.svt.se/nyheter/lokalt/gavleborg/verktyg-for-100-000-kronor-stulna-i-gavle
