News
News Archive 2010
CESAR HEADS TO EUROPE
The adoption of CESAR as the official European wide equipment security and registration scheme took a step forward this week after a Europol conference at New Scotland yard.
The conference, organised by the Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit (PANIU), was attended by 25 delegates from across Europe including Italy, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Sweden, and Serbia.
The delegates heard about the CESAR scheme first hand from Datatag ID Limited, the company behind the scheme. DCI Mathew Horne of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) also addressed the conference highlighting the threat posed by organised criminals who are behind the majority of equipment thefts. CESAR and insurance industry sponsored specialist police unit PANIU also presented to the delegates, explaining their successful approach to tackling organised crime and repatriating stolen equipment.
A trip to the JCB training facility in Docklands and to the Olympic Park construction site gave the delegates an opportunity to see the scheme in operation on machines working on the project
The official CESAR security marking and registration scheme, supported by the Construction Equipment Association (CEA) and the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA), was designed in conjunction with the police and the insurance industry. CESAR is made up of 4 elements. Firstly, the machine is fitted with 4 tamper proof triangular registration plates, which are securely fitted to the machine; with the machines own unique identification number. Secondly, a number of RFID transponders, each the size of a grain of rice, are hidden in the machinery each with its own unique programmed code. Thirdly, the machine has patches of forensic liquid DNA painted on to it in a number of locations. The liquid DNA has microscopic Datatdots® suspended in it which are invisible to the eye. It's literally impossible for thieves to remove all the tell-tale identification traces from a CESAR registered machine. Fourthly, lifetime machine registration, on Datatag's secure database, which gives the police and other official agencies 24/7 access to the registration information which is an important aid in identification and recovery. John Deere now fits CESAR as standard on all Manheim built tractors for the UK market.
Statistics compiled by the insurance industry funded PANIU show that CESAR registered machines are 7 times more likely to be recovered in the event of theft than unregistered machines, and 4 times less likely to be stolen in the first place.
A further announcement, regarding the adoption of CESAR by other official bodies in Europe, is expected shortly with increasing pressure coming from the police and the insurance industry with support from major manufacturers including JCB, John Deere, Manitou, and Doosan
Date Created: 22/10/2010
CESAR HEADS TO TILLAGE AND SALTEX
CESAR, the official agricultural equipment security and registration scheme, will be exhibiting at two important shows in the next few weeks. The first of the two shows is the three day Institute of Groundsmanship SALTEX held at the Windsor racecourse from Tuesday September 7th and the second the AEA organised Tillage 2011 which this year will be held near Lincoln on Tuesday September 14th.
CESAR is widely supported by the police, the Home Office, leading insurers and in the agricultural industry as a whole. CESAR is the only security scheme adopted by the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA). Many leading equipment manufacturers including John Deere, JCB, Manitou, and Merlo fit CESAR as standard to machines sold in the UK.
With equipment theft on the increase leading insurers are urging the industry to take more care, and take more precautions with equipment of all types. Anything from a £100 'strimmer' to a £150,000 tractor is vulnerable to theft. CESAR is a proven powerful deterrent against theft and an invaluable aid in recovery in the unlikely event of theft. Statistics compiled by the insurance industry funded police unit PANIU show that CESAR registered machines are 7 times more likely to be recovered in the event of theft than unregistered machines, and 4 times less likely to be stolen in the first place.
The CESAR security marking and registration scheme was designed in conjunction with the police and the insurance industry. CESAR is made up of 4 elements. Firstly, the machine is fitted with 4 tamper proof triangular registration plates, which are securely fitted to the machine; with the machines own unique identification number. Secondly, a number of RFID transponders, each the size of a grain of rice, are hidden in the machinery each with its own unique programmed code. Thirdly, the machine has patches of forensic liquid DNA painted on to it in a number of locations. The liquid DNA has microscopic Datatdots® suspended in it which are invisible to the eye. It's literally impossible for thieves to remove all the tell-tale identification traces from a CESAR registered machine. Fourthly, lifetime machine registration, on Datatag's secure database, which gives the police and other official agencies 24/7 access to the registration information which is an important aid in identification and recovery.
CESAR can be fitted to any existing piece of agricultural equipment for around £120. As a final benefit to machine owners many leading insurance companies, including NFU Mutual, offer substantial insurance premium discounts for equipment fitted with CESAR.
Date Created: 25/08/2010
Thames Valley Police Boost CESAR Fitments
Thames Valley Police has launched a new plant and rural crime reduction initiative involving CESAR, the official equipment security and registration scheme.
The initiative is aimed at reducing the theft of expensive agricultural and construction equipment in the area. In the 6 months from December 2009 there have been 115 incidents of tractor and plant theft in the Thames Valley area.
To encourage people to adopt the use of the CESAR scheme Thames Valley Police are offering to pay 20 per cent of the fitment cost, meaning equipment can be protected for £109.
The CESAR security marking and registration scheme was designed in conjunction with the police and the insurance industry. CESAR is made up of 4 elements. Firstly, the machine is fitted with 4 tamper proof triangular registration plates, which are securely fitted to the machine; with the machines own unique identification number. Secondly, a number of RFID transponders, each the size of a grain of rice, are hidden in the machinery each with its own unique programmed code. Thirdly, the machine has patches of forensic liquid DNA painted on to it in a number of locations. The liquid DNA has microscopic Datatdots® suspended in it which are invisible to the eye. It's literally impossible for thieves to remove all the tell-tale identification traces from a CESAR registered machine. Fourthly, lifetime machine registration, on Datatag's secure database, which gives the police and other official agencies 24/7 access to the registration information which is an important aid in identification and recovery. Statistics compiled by the insurance industry funded PANIU show that CESAR registered machines are 7 times more likely to be recovered in the event of theft than unregistered machines, and 4 times less likely to be stolen in the first place.
As a final benefit to machine owners many of the leading insurance companies, including NFU Mutual, offer substantial insurance premium discounts for equipment fitted with CESAR.
Date Created: 28/07/2010
Lincolnshire Police Land Rover Discovery
The Lincolnshire Police 'Auto Crimes' unit are showing their support for the CESAR scheme by promoting the official equipment security and registration scheme on one of their police vehicles- a Land Rover Discovery.
Lincolnshire is one of the 'hot-spots' for tractor thefts currently, with over 30 high value tractors stolen this year, which is why the police are promoting the CESAR scheme to farmers, farm contractors, and agricultural equipment dealers around the large county.
The vehicle was used at the CEREALS exhibition and also at the Lincolnshire County Show to heighten awareness of the problem of tractor theft in the county. CESAR is supported by the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA), the Home Office, and the British Machinery Insurers Association. CESAR is fitted as standard to many leading brands of agricultural equipment sold into the UK including John Deere, McCormick, Cat, JCB, Manitou, Merlo, and Kubota.
Statistics compiled by the insurance industry funded Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit show that CESAR registered machines are 7 times more likely to be recovered in the event of theft, than unregistered machines, and 4 times less likely to be stolen in the first place. CESAR can be fitted to any existing piece of agricultural equipment, and once fitted the machine is protected for life.
CESAR incorporates state of the art identification technology in each machine, giving it a unique identity, just like a finger print. CESAR is made up of 4 elements. Firstly, 4 tamper proof registration plates are securely fitted to the machine's chassis. Secondly, a number of RFID transponders, each the size of a grain of rice, are hidden in the machine each with their own unique programmed code. Thirdly, the machine has patches of forensic liquid DNA painted on to it. The liquid DNA also has microscopic Datatdots suspended in it which are invisible to the eye. It's literally impossible for thieves to remove all the tell tail identification traces from a CESAR registered machine. Fourthly, the machine is registered on Datatag's secure database which is linked the police national computer giving the authorities 24/7 access to the data.
Once a machine has had CESAR fitted it's protected for life with no annual subscriptions or additional costs. NFU Mutual Insurance offer 12.5% insurance premium discounts for machines fitted with CESAR, which should be music to farmers' ears?
Date Created: 06/07/2010
CESAR 'Fingerprint' Leads To The Recovery Of 3 Stolen Machines From Poland
3 stolen machines are on their way back to the UK thanks to their unique CESAR 'fingerprint' and Datatag technology. Police in Poland suspected that 2 JCB Telescopic handlers and a JCB Backhoe were stolen, but as the thieves had removed every single trace of identity and 'cloned' the machines with a new identity; the police could not prove it. But Datatag technology and CESAR registration quickly identified that all 3 JCB machines had been stolen, from leading plant hire companies, in the South East of England in 2008 and 2009. The machines are now the property of the insurance companies who settled the losses. JCB were one of the first of many major manufacturers to adopt CESAR and they have been fitting the system to UK machines for 3 years.
A qualified police vehicle examiner, who flew to Poland especially for this mission, was easily able to identify the true identity of the machines using state of the art Datatag ID technology. Just like a human fingerprint the CESAR version categorically identifies a specific machine as no 2 CESAR fingerprints are alike. The thieves could remove the manufacturer's visible identity of the machines but not the hidden and permanent CESAR fingerprint. As a consequence the gang face lengthy prison sentences for theft and handling stolen property.
Kevin Howells, Director of Datatag ID, and an expert on plant theft prevention, and recovery, comments "This latest recovery of valuable equipment really does show the effectiveness of the unique Datatag 'fingerprint' that every CESAR registered machine is given. Even after several years we were able to categorically identify all 3 stolen machines which has led to their repatriation and a substantial financial recovery for the insurance companies concerned".
World class security technology, from Datatag, is used in a unique and innovative way to permanently identify a given machine. CESAR security devices, fitted to every machine on the register, include several tamper proof triangular registration plates (with a unique number for each machine), a number of radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags hidden in the machine, forensic liquid DNA, and thousands of microscopic Datadots. It's literally impossible for thieves to remove all the traces of Datatag identification technology from a CESAR registered machine, which is one reason why recovery rates are higher than for unprotected and secured machines. Datatag meet current ISO 9000:2001 and LPS 1224 accreditation requirements and operate a 'secured by design' British Home Office approved database.
CESAR is the only official security and registration scheme and the most effective by being a powerful deterrent against theft and a proven and valuable aid in recovery. CESAR can be fitted to any type of construction and agricultural equipment from as little as £99.
Date Created: 24/06/2010
Balfour Beatty Protect New Fleet With CESAR
Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions, one of the UK's leading utility solutions providers, has specified CESAR to protect a fleet of 30 John Deere tractors. The new machines, supplied by Agricultural Industrial Services (AIS) Limited of Sudbury Derbyshire, will work on electricity distribution projects in remote locations. An approved technician, from Pirtek Derby, fitted CESAR to the machines at Balfour Beatty's Raynesway plant facility.
Balfour Beatty Utility Solutions deliver solutions for many of the UK's major utility companies. They work in water, wastewater, gas, and electricity sectors, providing a range of services across infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects which contribute to the sustained, and safe supply of essential utilities to the public.
CESAR is the only official security and registration scheme for construction and agricultural equipment. It has wide industry support from official bodies including the Home Office the Construction Equipment Association the Agricultural Engineers Association and the police, leading equipment manufacturers, the insurance and finance industries, utilities and local authorities.
CESAR registered machines are fitted with a sophisticated and multi-layered security system that gives each machine its own unique 'fingerprint', that is impossible for thieves to remove. CESAR is made up of 4 elements. Firstly, the machine is fitted with 4 tamper proof triangular registration plates, which are securely fitted to the machine; with the machines own unique identification number. Secondly, a number of RFID transponders, each the size of a grain of rice, are hidden in the machinery each with its own unique programmed code. Thirdly, the machine has patches of forensic liquid DNA painted on to it in a number of locations. The liquid DNA has microscopic Datatdots® suspended in it which are invisible to the eye. It's literally impossible for thieves to remove all the tell-tale identification traces from a CESAR registered machine. Fourthly, lifetime machine registration, on Datatag's secure database, which gives the police and other official agencies 24/7 access to the registration information which is an important aid in identification and recovery.
Official statistics issued by the Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit, based within Scotland Yard, show that a machine without CESAR is 4 times more likely to be stolen than a CESAR registered machine. Plus the recovery rate for unregistered plant is as low as 5% but the recovery rate for stolen CESAR registered machines has increased to nearly 30% in 2009, 6 times that for 'unregistered' plant.
Date Created: 21/06/2010
CESAR Much In Evidence At CEREALS 2010
The 2010 Cereals exhibition was held in blustery conditions near Cambridge June 9th & 10th. CESAR, the only official security and registration scheme for construction and agricultural equipment, was much in evidence with CESAR plates on many of the market leading exhibits including machines from John Deere, Case-IH, Caterpillar, Manitou, and McCormick Landini. Over 23,500 visitors attended the busy show.
JCB took the opportunity to launch 2 new radically revamped models in its 3000-series Fastracs at Cereals. JCB was one of the first manufacturers to adopt CESAR in construction and they announced that CESAR would be used on its wide range of agricultural machines from June of this year. Cereals 2010 was the first time that CESAR plates had been seen, in public, on JCB's innovative high-speed Fastracs.
Few machines come bigger than the 535 h.p. Case-IH 535 Quadtrac! But even this giant machine was fully protected with its own CESAR plate (see image). Case-IH has protected its demonstration fleet with CESAR plates, a powerful deterrent against theft and an invaluable aid in recovery.
The CESAR scheme stand, manned by Datatag staff and representatives from the police, was busy throughout the show. With tractor thefts on the increase, and with the local areas in Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire particularly affected, visitors were interested in the benefits of CESAR fitment and the insurance premium discounts available from the leading insurers, including NFU Mutual, who support the adoption of CESAR.
CESAR is widely supported by the police, the Home Office, leading insurers and in the agricultural industry as a whole. The CESAR scheme is the only security scheme adopted by the Agricultural Engineers Association (AEA). Roger Lane-Nott, Chief Executive of the AEA was an early visitor to the CESAR stand to lend his personal support to the initiative.
The police presence at the 2 day show included officers from Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, and the insurance industry sponsored Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit (PANIU).
Talks continued at Cereals, with other leading agricultural equipment suppliers, about the adoption of CESAR and further announcements are expected by the time of the Royal Highland Show in July.
Date Created: 15/06/2010
JCB Roll-Out With CESAR At CEREALS
JCB, the world renowned manufacturer, announced in April 2010 that it was to fit the CESAR security and registration system to all its agricultural machines sold in the UK and now machines are rolling off the production lines fully protected. This includes the range of JCB Loadall telescopic handlers, wheeled loading shovels, Robot skid-steer loaders, and the high-speed Fastrac tractors.
JCB's machines at CEREAL 2010, to be held near Cambridge June 9th/10th, will be shown with CESAR as police in the area continue their campaign to raise awareness of the threat of equipment theft. East Anglia is a 'hot-spot' for theft with over 30 tractors reported as stolen in the past few months. The spate of thefts includes a JCB Fastrac, worth £90,000, that was stolen from a farm in Crowland, Lincolnshire in early April.
CESAR is the only official equipment security and registration scheme and as such it has wide support from the Agricultural Engineers Association, the Home Office, the Association of Chief Police Officers, and the British Machinery Insurers Association. The CESAR scheme has a stand at CEREALS which will be manned by Datatag's security experts and local police officers. The police are encouraging the agricultural industry to make equipment more secure by removing keys and locking gates and by fitting CESAR to all equipment. CESAR is made up of 4 elements. Firstly, the machine is fitted with 4 tamper proof triangular registration plates, which are securely fitted to the machine; with the machines own unique identification number. Secondly, a number of RFID transponders, each the size of a grain of rice, are hidden in the machinery each with its own unique programmed code. Thirdly, the machine has patches of forensic liquid DNA painted on to it in a number of locations. The liquid DNA has microscopic Datatdots® suspended in it which are invisible to the eye. It's literally impossible for thieves to remove all the tell-tale identification traces from a CESAR registered machine. Fourthly, lifetime machine registration, on Datatag's secure database, which gives the police and other official agencies 24/7 access to the registration information which is an important aid in identification and recovery. Statistics, compiled by the police, show that CESAR registered machines are 6 times more likely to be recovered in the event of theft than unregistered machines, and 4 times less likely to be stolen in the first place.
As a final benefit to machine owners many of the leading insurance companies, including NFU Mutual, offer substantial insurance premium discounts for equipment fitted with CESAR.
Date Created: 08/06/2010
CASE IH Adopt CESAR® To Protect Demonstration Fleet
Case IH, the leading manufacturer of agricultural equipment, has just fitted CESAR to its fleet of demonstration tractors to protect them from theft. The sizable fleet, which regularly works across the length and breadth of the UK, includes Puma, Maxxum, and Magnum models up to 335 h.p.
Commenting on the move Business Director Richard Beadman comments: "Our demonstration fleet is kept very busy and we regularly have to leave machines unattended and in transit. Tractor theft is, unfortunately, a real issue and I know that CESAR has proved to be a real deterrent against theft. We regard the adoption of CESAR as a sensible move".
The Case IH fleet made its first public appearance, with the now familiar triangular registration plates, at the recent ScotGrass show (pictured).
Statistics compiled by the insurance industry funded PANIU show that CESAR registered machines are 6 times more likely to be recovered in the event of theft than unregistered machines, and 4 times less likely to be stolen in the first place.
CESAR can be fitted to any type of agricultural equipment and a number of service organisations are trained and approved to fit CESAR in the aftermarket. See the web site for more details at www.cesarscheme.org
As a final benefit to machine owners many of the leading insurance companies offer insurance premium discounts of up to 20% for equipment fitted with CESAR.
Date Created: 19/05/2010
CESAR® Sponsored Police Unit Get Their First Conviction
Two plant thieves are starting prison sentences after a successful prosecution by the CESAR sponsored specialist Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit of the Met Police.
Londoners Bernard Connolly of Gunwhale Close, Rotherhithe, and Robert Smith of Kender Street, New Cross, received prison sentences of 20 months and 1 year respectively at Cambridge Crown Court for three counts of conspiracy to steal. The pair used a transit drop-side liveried in legitimate plant hirers Hewden's colours to dupe customers into parting with equipment, even though the vehicle never belonged to the hirer.
The thieves came to PANIU's attention following the theft of equipment in Hertfordshire worth £23,000. Local police passed on the information and PANIU was eventually able to trace the vehicle with the false identity.
CESAR is the official plant and equipment registration scheme for construction and agriculture supported the Home Office, leading equipment manufacturers, and British Machinery Insurers Association. It provides the police with the ability to check on machines in exactly the same way as they would a car or van through the Police National Computer (PNC).
PANIU officers are still keen to hear from anyone who believes they may have fallen victim to the thieves' ploy and have had equipment stolen.
Date Created: 24/03/2010
Tree Surgeon Foils Thieves And Turns To Datatag
A Wakefield tree surgeon foiled thieves who attempted to steal his Timberwolf woodchipper from a site in Wakefield. Simon Roberts jumped out of an apple tree and confronted the would-be thieves who were in the process of loading his £9,000 machine onto their Transit pick-up truck. Shocked at his approach the two men attempted to pass of their actions 'as a joke'. And now Simon has turned to CESAR supplier Datatag to safeguard his machine to avoid a similar confrontation in the future. CESAR is the official plant and equipment registration scheme supported by the Home Office, leading equipment manufacturers and the British Machinery Insurers Association.
Simon had this to say as Datatag fitted CESAR to his prized Timberwolf: "I'm shocked at the cheek of the thieves who attempted to steal my machine literally from under my nose. I was so cross I just jumped out of the apple tree I was pruning and marched over to them. They dropped the machine and started chatting. They mentioned Datatag and how they steer clear of machines with the triangular plate which is why I'm fitting CESAR now. I just want to go about my work without the agro and CESAR registration will act as the deterrent in the future, not me"!
CESAR registration acts as a powerful deterrent against theft and an assured way of positively identifying a machine in the unlikely event of theft. Two highly visible triangular registration plates, with a unique number, are fitted to every CESAR registered machine. The widely adopted CESAR scheme provides the police with the ability to check on any registered machine in exactly the same way as they would a car or van through the Police National Computer (PNC). Organised and opportunistic thieves are aware that the triangular registration plate and hidden security devices, including electronic transponders, forensic DNA and thousands of 'Datatadots', mean trouble and so thieves shy away from CESAR registered equipment.
Recent official statistics show that CESAR marked machines are 4 times less likely to be stolen in the first place and 6 times more likely to be recovered, in the event of theft, than unregistered machines.
As a significant benefit to machine owners insurance premium discounts are available from leading insurers for machines fitted with CESAR, which offsets the cost of fitting the system to existing machines. NFU Mutual the market leading insurer in the agricultural sector offers 12.5% discount for CESAR equipped machines. A number of service providers, including the AEA, Enigma and Pirtek, are approved to fit CESAR to any type of agricultural, construction or industrial machine.
Date Created: 23/03/2010
Finning Adopt CESAR® To Safeguard CAT® Customer Machines
Finning, the UK's sole supplier of Caterpillar® equipment, has today announced that it will fit the official CESAR plant registration and security system to all new Caterpillar machines that it supplies from March 1st.
With over 26,000 machines registered in construction and agriculture CESAR, supported by the Home Office and the British Machinery Insurers Association, is the market leading scheme providing a powerful deterrent against theft and an assured way of identifying a machine in the unlikely event of theft. Statistics compiled by the insurance industry funded Plant and Agriculture National Intelligence Unit show that CESAR registered machines are 6 times more likely to be recovered in the event of theft, than unregistered machines, and 4 times less likely to be stolen in the first place.
Finning engineers will fit CESAR, at the pre-delivery stage, to the full Caterpillar product line-up from the smallest mini-excavator to the largest rigid dump truck. As such this will encompass the widest product range of any original equipment manufacturer fitting CESAR as standard, including as it does machines in 20 product groups including tracked and wheeled excavators, wheeled loaders, articulated dump trucks, telescopic handlers, and crawler tractors up to 104 tonnes in weight. The news from Finning comes hot on the heels of a major new initiative by the company-Lastability, a scheme designed to save the construction industry £10m this year. CESAR is another aspect of this concept helping to minimise the cost and disruption caused by plant theft. Customers of new Cat machines can be assured that their investment is protected and CESAR brings the added benefit of reduced insurance premiums from many leading insurers.
Finning (UK) Sales Support Manager Tim Ballard said: "Finning has recognised that deterring plant theft is an important consideration for the industry as a whole and therefore we have acted on recent advice from a number of sources to implement a step change as part of our 'Lastability' promise to the industry. As we explore further options with Caterpillar and other leading security suppliers we will evaluate additional options for customers"
Kevin Howells, an expert on security marking and registration and a Director of Datatag, had this to say about the announcement: "I'm delighted that Finning has adopted CESAR for Caterpillar machines as Cat is one of the most respected brands in the world. The concept of CESAR, namely providing an effective deterrent against theft and an invaluable aid in recovery, fits perfectly with Finning Lastability. Official figures show the marked effectiveness of CESAR as a deterrent and an assured aid in recovery and I'm certain that the many Caterpillar customers up and down the country will benefit from this important step by Finning".
Finning engineers have already been trained by the Datatag team to fit CESAR and the first Caterpillar machines with the now familiar triangular registration plates will roll out of Finning's Cannock preparation centre in early March.
Date Created: 02/03/2010
Police Operation Utah Results In Prosecutions After Vehicle And Plant Checks In Midlands
A joint operation by the police forces of Staffordshire, Warwickshire and the West Midlands, under the banner of operation Utah, was hailed a success by senior officers after it resulted in over 30 prosecutions for a variety of vehicle related offences. The operation centred on Tamworth and Stoke-on-Trent with over 100 vehicles stopped from the M42, A5, A50 and A500 during the day.
Officers from the specialist Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit (PANIU) joined the operation to check on construction and agricultural plant movements. The now widely adopted CESAR plant registration scheme provides the police with the ability to check on construction and agricultural machines in exactly the same way as they would a car or van through the Police National Computer (PNC).
During operation Utah all the plant checks showed that machine movements were legitimate but organised criminals can never be sure that they will not be stopped. CESAR registered machines can always be identified, because of the hidden Datatag technology, which is one reason why recovery rates are 6 times higher, for CESAR registered machines, than for unregistered equipment. A previous police operation, Crassus in 2008, resulted in 2 stolen CESAR registered machines being recovered belonging to J.F Hunt Plant Hire.
Date Created: 02/03/2010
Agricultural Engineers Team Trained for CESAR® Aftermarket Fitment
The first technicians trained on behalf of the AEA (Agricultural Engineers Association) have completed their training to install the official CESAR system on agricultural equipment. This first group of technicians from the North, South, East and West will provide the initial countrywide coverage for aftermarket fitment.
CESAR is the official equipment security and registration scheme that has wide support in the agricultural and construction worlds including the CEA Construction Equipment Association), the Police, the Home Office and the British Machinery Insurers Association. Further technicians will be trained by Datatag in the coming months.
The AEA formally announced its support for the CESAR registration scheme and Datatag security system last year and the agreement between the AEA and the CEA was signed in November by Roger Lane-Nott, the Chief Executive of the AEA, and Yvette Henshall-Bell acting on behalf of the CEA.
It's a regrettable fact that theft is becoming a greater threat to owners of agricultural equipment, including tractors telescopic handlers and all types of trailers, but there are now easy steps that can be taken to deter thieves and the CESAR scheme is one of them. The AEA actively endorses the scheme and a number of its members, the major equipment manufacturers, will shortly be announcing their decision to fit CESAR as standard on machines supplied in the UK. CESAR acts as a powerful deterrent against theft and an assured way of positively identifying a specific machine in the unlikely event of theft.
CESAR has proved its effectiveness in construction and with over 26,000 machines on the scheme the unique triangular registration plate is a familiar sight on construction sites and now in agriculture. Official police statistics issued by the Plant and Agricultural National Intelligence Unit, based within Scotland Yard, show that a machine without CESAR is 4 times more likely to be stolen than a CESAR registered machine. Plus the recovery rate for unregistered plant is as low as 5% but the recovery rate for stolen CESAR registered machines has increased to nearly 30% in 2009, 6 times that for 'unregistered' plant.
CESAR® registration allows the police to easily check on a piece of agricultural equipment in exactly the same way as they would a car through the police national computer (PNC). Police forces up and down the country are already equipped with special Datatag scanners that can 'read' the miniature hidden transponders in a machine to help identify the rightful owner even if the registration plates have been removed. The CESAR system also utilises other 'state of the art' Datatag identification technology such as unique microdots and even an invisible Forensic DNA liquid.
CESAR can be fitted to virtually any piece of existing agricultural equipment. Installation of a Datatag and registration with CESAR qualifies the machine for a substantial insurance premium discount from a number of major insurers, including NFU Mutual, Allianz, Aviva, HSB Engineering Insurance, Royal & Sun Alliance and Zurich.
Date Created: 10/02/2010
