Nine charged in relation to theft of £3.1M worth of plant and machinery, some of which had made its way to NI

A Specialist Forensic Vehicle Examiner, attached to the South Area Roads Policing Support Group, provided expert evidence at Preston Crown Court last week in relation to an operation involving the theft of plant and machinery.

A PSNI spokesperson said: “Several items of machinery were cloned and moved throughout the world. Some of the machinery made its way to Northern Ireland.

"The officer located and examined the machinery, and was able to determine the original identity. The machinery was then seized and returned to the rightful owners.”

The CESAR Scheme was established in 2008 and the industry has united behind this official construction and agricultural equipment security and registration scheme - the premier initiative to combat equipment theft.

To combat theft and aid recovery CESAR combines:- State of the art Datatag ID technology- Overt and covert deterrents- A low one off cost to protect your machine for life- A secure and accredited dedicated 24/7 UK Secure Contact Centre

The triangular CESAR registration plate has become the industry standard identification mark with support from local authorities, leading contractors, the farming community, hire companies, the police, insurers and finance companies.

CESAR marking of agricultural machinery has contributed to a 60 per cent decline in thefts since the scheme was launched in 2007.

Machinery theft is big business across the UK and, as kit becomes ever more technically advanced, the cost of these thefts to the industry is soaring

Farming is probably the most time-critical of all industries. A tractor, for example, is a piece of equipment that is not easily and quickly replaced once it is stolen. Being a victim of crime can also take an emotional toll.