Where do all the stolen trailers go ??

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Muddywellies

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Have been a victim of trailer theft, I'm now aware of all the hundreds of trailers being stolen. It seems like an epidemic ! But I wonder where they all go ? How many people are buying second hand trailers from questionable dealers ??? If all (most) these trailers are registered with IW / TER (as mine was) why are so few recovered and the purpotraters brought to justice ?
 
Muddywellies said:
Have been a victim of trailer theft, I'm now aware of all the hundreds of trailers being stolen. It seems like an epidemic ! But I wonder where they all go ? How many people are buying second hand trailers from questionable dealers ??? If all (most) these trailers are registered with IW / TER (as mine was) why are so few recovered and the purpotraters brought to justice ?
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I always tell people to put post code stickers on the roof so the police can follow them above https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28274579...5kD/NpynZi64+vHrT/pm06pg==|tkp:Bk9SR5r3vt2JYg
 
Good question! And they've shot in value just like everything else, I sold a nearly new Ifor back in 2004 - the same trailer would sell for the same money now, if not more. I've had my old Sinclair for years and never worried about it being stolen, now, with the fashion for converting old trailers into bars & the like, I am starting to get worried!
 
I know someone who had two Ifor Williams stolen in broad day light tucked away in an orchard behind the farm not able to see from road and had to navigate stock gates through the yard. Both trailers were tracked down by the police one in Wales & one in Kent ! both owners had to go and collect them. Hope your turns up soon
 
ILuvCowparsely said:
I always tell people to put post code stickers on the roof so the police can follow them above https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/282745799158?hash=item41d4f681f6:g:A4UAAOSwGI9iMGLB&amdata=enc:AQAIAAAA8AmvCOvwbJyB7cNxvRDKYVIzg8Znrwi21xwyIlJK/sX/ZrIKrl33fdteIos/O3PCiPhf2P7x38XGWm1AGA23jt8SaZjSfFSE/1VRblenGNuYgabKzsO+5DUdctOHhbw40mQaf9TjlAv8PVtb1xkJ206KMaVOOybsPe65IO41EEBHBamLl1Ymfum3H9AmAMcR8ddFluRBnTjyTwf6FMnwAbZJcujMElSt2cu8/v5Mg19YGWTouVmt8ZahkkeVzKnpudtkiBnjBUf2nOXCRgAxCSIekTV87GxK0AwZOYszk95kD/NpynZi64+vHrT/pm06pg==|tkp:Bk9SR5r3vt2JYg
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I have to be honest, I have always wondered re this. Are the police really going to go searching for a stolen trailer in a helicopter? Not asking you to answer that, it's more of a rhetorical question, but it's worth considering.
 
I had a nearly new Ifor stolen some years ago, reported it to Ifor Williams as it had a datatag on it.
A few years afterwards I did get a call from them asking if the trailer had ever been recovered (which it hadnt) they wouldn't discuss it with me but I assume it was for sale somewhere and the diligent purchaser was checking to see if it was stolen before buying

Who knows
 
I don't think the police are particularly interested in tracking down stolen vehicles of any kind unless it's obvious where they've gone (or who's taken them), as they are aware the victim usually receives an insurance payout so it isn't seen as the 'loss' that it feels like to the victim, and because of this the police prioritise other things (and are thinly stretched so although I don't like it I suppose it makes sense if it means they are off chasing the perpetrators of violent crimes instead). In the ideal world the police would have the resources to pursue ALL crimes properly; the sheer number of trailers being stolen, the high re-sale value and the fact that stolen ones are rarely recovered or anyone prosecuted must make it an incredibly appealing job for criminals.

When I bought mine I was told by the dealership that although a lot of stolen ones seem to go abroad there are also a lot being resold here, as the majority of buyers innocently (or lazily) don't ask questions beyond checking the safety of the trailer. Personalising it in a visible way (postcode, decals etc) is apparently a great theft deterrent as those sorts of things make potential buyers ask questions.

OP I hope you are one of the lucky ones and you manage to get your trailer back.
 
AandK said:
I have to be honest, I have always wondered re this. Are the police really going to go searching for a stolen trailer in a helicopter? Not asking you to answer that, it's more of a rhetorical question, but it's worth considering.
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Maybe I'm just a miserable cynic but I've never really believed that. I've had trouble getting the police out to a shop robbery turned fist fight (I literally phoned as I was watching it happening - it took them almost an hour to turn up) - I have zero faith that they have resources to find and follow a stolen trailer. However I do wonder whether it might act as enough of a deterrent that the thieves might nick someone else's trailer, rather than yours. It's academic anyway as the top of mine is too dirty to stick anything too, and I can't reach it to clean it!
 
tda said:
I had a nearly new Ifor stolen some years ago, reported it to Ifor Williams as it had a datatag on it.
A few years afterwards I did get a call from them asking if the trailer had ever been recovered (which it hadnt) they wouldn't discuss it with me but I assume it was for sale somewhere and the diligent purchaser was checking to see if it was stolen before buying

Who knows
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This happened to a friend. They bought a second hand IW trailer and went to register themselves as owners with IW. A few days later the police turned up and repossessed the trailer as it was stolen. The ID number on the front plate was a flatbed trailer number but the number on the chassis confirmed it's true identity.
 
Sadly the police are so thinly stretched and under funded that trailer theft is very very low down on the list.

Lots go abroad - we used to live in Lincolnshire which was rife with farm equipment theft - stuff would be stolen, wizzed down to the docks and on a container for other countries quicker than you or I could imagine.

That's why it doesn't turn up again

The odd few are resold locally - but the big volumes are for the overseas market.
 
AandK said:
I have to be honest, I have always wondered re this. Are the police really going to go searching for a stolen trailer in a helicopter? Not asking you to answer that, it's more of a rhetorical question, but it's worth considering.
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I think hiding a tracker on them sounds like a better chance at finding them than a postcode on the roof. But I would like to believe that a unique re-paint would be the best way to deter thieves from stealing it in the first place.
Besides, if it still got stolen, you wouldn't need a helicopter to spot it, and perhaps the police would truly keep their eyes out for for example an Orange with black spots and some pink trims coloured trailer, or a white roof and the rest pink with neon-yellow (or is it neon-green?) dots coloured trailer. (ETA Pictures found on Pinterest.)



eef29bcffd959f6f0ac931d596a66ae1--horse-trailers-horse-stuff.jpg


images



As for who buys stolen trailers, I'm guessing that it's a mix between some being sold abroad, some thieves having built up a network of people that is very good at portraying themselves as genuine sellers, and some buyers who simply can't imagine that it would happen to them in real life that someone would try to sell them a stolen trailer.
 
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SilverLinings said:
Great paintwork @FinnishLapphund , although I'm not sure I could take the stares if I turned up at an event with the Mr Blobby trailer (the spotty one looks like a ridiculous UK TV character from the 1990s), but at least there would be no thief prepared to be seen dead towing it 🤣
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Sorry, they're not mine, I did a search on Pinterest, and found those, and some other suggestions...


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Trailer2.jpg.optimal.jpg



unicorntrailer1.jpg
 
IWT are very good. I bought my trailer from an iwt dealer without the paperwork (obvs they dint mention that til you go to pick it up 🙄). With it being a dealer I assumed all would be fine and it was. When I wanted to sell I called them to get replacement paperwork and they had to write to the previous reg owner as well as get a photo of my receipt.

If you're buying one it's worth calling them with the chassis number to check whether it's stolen and the age, takes minutes.
 
horse box’s aren’t just used for horses they are used as coffee shops and bars. They are also used for farming and storage a lot of them are sold abroad. It’s the same with stolen horses most of them end up in the USA or Europe they are untreatable.
 
We have the datatag system with the micro dots...again it's not necessarily going to get a trailer back but hopefully will put someone off! I'm going to get a apple airtag for ours, they are cheap and can easily replace the battery. We also have a hitch lock, wheel clamp, postcode and car reg on the roof and ground anchor 😂
 
Trakky14 said:
We have the datatag system with the micro dots...again it's not necessarily going to get a trailer back but hopefully will put someone off! I'm going to get a apple airtag for ours, they are cheap and can easily replace the battery. We also have a hitch lock, wheel clamp, postcode and car reg on the roof and ground anchor 😂
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How long is the range of the air tag ?

Edit- just googled it . The range is about 30 feet so I'm afraid it will be useless for this purpose.
 
AandK said:
I have to be honest, I have always wondered re this. Are the police really going to go searching for a stolen trailer in a helicopter? Not asking you to answer that, it's more of a rhetorical question, but it's worth considering.
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Actually this is a true story from the middle 90's, someone had their trailer stolen, very shortly before they found it gone. They phone the police and said it was barely anytime since it has been gone.

They said it had their postcode on the top, and the police informed them they would pass the details on the the police chopper, after a bit (don't know how long), the info came back the trailer was spotted going up the M1, they followed it by air up north somewhere, obviously were in contact with ground support. The trailer ended up at a farm location, and when the police on the ground all showed up, there were arests AND there were 4 other stolen trailers there all recovered. RESULT!

Police can also spot them from motorway bridges. There has been discussion before on this.


Trailer security - does anyone roof mark?

Is putting your postcode on the roof of a trailer still a good idea, if so any tips for doing it? (Trailer is locked, wheel locked and "identa"(?) tagged, but just thinking of all that could be done)
forums.horseandhound.co.uk forums.horseandhound.co.uk






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Cowpony said:
I read somewhere (possibly on here) that if you paint the postcode on the roof you are advertising to any thief standing on a motorway overpass exactly where to find it!
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But how many thiefs do you see standing on a bridge waiting for 1 in a million chance a trailer would pass on that motorway bridge at that time.
 
spotty_pony said:
And as for few being brought to justice - if it’s a certain party of people, the police won’t touch them.
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I had no idea that undesirables might be stealing floats. I mean the 'we-don't-want-to-touch-them' type of undesirables. It makes sense though, now that I read it.
 
Sossigpoker said:
How long is the range of the air tag ?

Edit- just googled it . The range is about 30 feet so I'm afraid it will be useless for this purpose.
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The idea is that any passing Apple device also picks up on the location. It doesn't have to be within 30 feet of your phone. Unfortunately, the Android versions aren't as good as the Apple one, and I'm not an iPhone user.

The recommendation for trailer security is to have something obvious, something subtle, and something downright invisible. Obvious - paintjob, graphics, similar. Subtle - Airtag/Chipolo, markings visible under UV light. Downright invisible - Datatag microdots. Basically, make the thieves think they've found and countered everything, but have one or two more markings on there.
 
FinnishLapphund said:
I think hiding a tracker on them sounds like a better chance at finding them than a postcode on the roof. But I would like to believe that a unique re-paint would be the best way to deter thieves from stealing it in the first place.
Besides, if it still got stolen, you wouldn't need a helicopter to spot it, and perhaps the police would truly keep their eyes out for for example an Orange with black spots and some pink trims coloured trailer, or a white roof and the rest pink with neon-yellow (or is it neon-green?) dots coloured trailer. (ETA Pictures found on Pinterest.)
Click to expand...

That idea is being used here to put off thieves from stealing catalytic converters.
 
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