April 27, 2009

Worksite Theft

Driver helps recover $1 million worth of stolen heavy equipment in Ontario

VINCE VERSACE

staff writer

Close to $1 million in stolen construction equipment has been recovered in Flamborough, Ontario, thanks to the sharp eye of a Con-Ker Construction driver and a little bit of luck.

“Most of the equipment has been missing already for about two to three weeks,” explained George Kleinsteiber, equipment theft consultant for the Ontario Sewer and Watermain Construction Association.

“There are indications the equipment was being re-VIN’d and readied to be shipped to Africa. We are extremely lucky to have recovered them.”

Late last month, a driver for Con-Ker Construction saw what he believed to be two John Deere bulldozers his company had recently reported stolen.

The heavy equipment was hidden behind some trees in a yard belonging to Suzan Equipment Sales in Flamborough.

Hamilton police were called to the location and secured it.

With the assistance of the Peel Regional Commercial Auto Crime Unit, Halton Regional Police and Kleinsteiber, a search warrant was executed the next day.

Investigators recovered three dump trucks, two bulldozers, an excavator, a quad-axle trailer and parts of a tri-axle float trailer.

The equipment belonged to Con-Ker Construction, Dom-Meridian Construction, non-OSWCA members and yet to be identified owners.

Further investigation by Peel police’s auto crime unit identified a customs broker in Mississauga that was preparing to ship the stolen equipment to Africa.

Charges against a number of individuals will be laid soon and attempts are being made to determine if other stolen heavy equipment is en route to Africa.

“Most of North America’s stolen heavy equipment seems to head to Africa,” said Kleinsteiber. “The equipment gets driven and loaded right on to row-row ships and then is gone.”

Heavy equipment theft amounts to a $32 million tab across Canada annually and a majority of that theft occurs in Ontario and Quebec, he said.

This year, equipment theft is on the rise in the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa, Montreal and Vancouver, but is down overall in the rest of country, Kleinsteiber explained.

There have been few successes in the recovery of stolen equipment in 2009, until the recent find.

There are several things that construction companies can do to mitigate the chances of theft.

The installation of an immobilizer or tracking system of some kind on equipment can help deter theft.

Kleinsteiber is the author of OSWCA’s Combatting Heavy Equipment Theft, An Officers’ Guide to Proper Identification of Construction Equipment.

The guide is designed to assist law enforcement officers in the location of vehicle/product identification numbers (VIN/PIN) on construction equipment such as excavators, backhoe loaders, skid steer loaders and mini-excavators.

OSWCA asks that people keep an eye out for new Case skidsteers because nine were recently stolen from equipment supplier Strongco’s Mississauga location.

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