The police have recovered a JCB loader worth around £25,000 after a dealer in large plant machinery saw it listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace.
The dealer checked the 3.5-tonne JCB 535-125 telescopic handler details in The Equipment Register (TER), a database of stolen plant and equipment which claims to be the largest in Europe.
The loader matched a reported theft from the Devon and Cornwall region at the end of February 2024.
The dealer promptly provided details of the sale listing, including its alleged location in the Hayle area of Cornwall, to TER, which passed the information to Devon and Cornwall Police for the recovery operation.
Criminals are increasingly using online platforms such as Facebook Marketplace to trade construction and farming equipment, said TER.
The anonymity offered by these platforms allows thieves to list stolen items with minimal risk of detection, often using fake profiles and untraceable contact details, and deleting listings once a sale is completed to evade authorities.
TER’s database currently holds 1.85 million items, including 850,000 trailers and 250,000 horseboxes. The register also has access to other external databases to help provide a comprehensive history of a vehicle or item.
Treve Jenkyn, the data director at TER, said: “This case serves as a good example of how critical it is for buyers to verify the legitimacy of machinery and trailers before purchasing.
“Thanks to the diligence of the dealer and our collaboration with Devon and Cornwall Police, this stolen JCB was successfully recovered for the owner. We urge buyers to always check with The Equipment Register before making any purchase to help combat the illegal trade of stolen goods.”
