news
Back on the right track
“flabbergasted" at the success of the device,
The Province
News
Charlie Anderson
2/20/2000
British Columbia's first Boomerang car theft has come back. There was no intention on the part of the thief of returning the $35,000 “Bigfoot” camper, after the stole it from a Surrey truck-accessories compound on Feb.13 and drove it to Hope. It’s just that he didn't know the camper was equipped with a sophisticated “boomerang" tracking device. Sgt. Enzo Nadalin, head of B.C.’s auto-theft task force, pronounced himself “flabbergasted" at the success of the device,which Is popular in Quebec and Ontario but which first appeared In B.C. last year. Using my cell phone technology, it tracks a vehicle through cell zones When a vehicle is declared stolen, the monitoring company moves in with a mobile tracking unit and zeroes in on a location.“We got the call the other morning saying 'Look this camper’s been stolen," said Nadalin "Within 10 minutes... they had pinned it down to Hope. I've used some tracking devices in my time, but this is a Cadillac compared to what we've used In the 'The signal was tracked by Telus Mobility to a closed garage at the back of a one acre lot in Hope. When police entered, they found the camper and an all terrain vehicle stolen from Alberta. B.C. Boomerang spokesman Randy Winters . Says the device, little bigger than a cigarette package, is designed to be unobtrusive to avoid detection. "Each one has it’s own electronic serial number, just as a, cellular phone does," said Winter.Winters says that while the technology can show where a particular vehicle is every 15 minutes, the company keeps no record unless it is reported stolen, Once reported stolen, the company tracks down the vehicle and reports its location to police who then move in. "We will never track a vehicle or tell anybody where a vehicle Is without a police report number," said Winters,Winters says the market for the device - which costs $599 plus a $10 a-month monitoring fee Is likely for vehicles of $35,000 or up, specialty vehicles or vehicles with sentimental value. "If your vehicle is stolen, it's covered by insurance, but you've got deductible, depreciation and all of these things are going to cost a lot more than the cost of a Boomerang. Winters says that in Quebec and Ontario, where thousands of Boomerangs have been sold, private insurers knock up to 25 per cent off insurance premiums. There is no such discount In S.C. Nadalin, whose unit includes officers from municipalities and RCMP detachments throughout the Lower Mainland, says the unit Is currently busting about one thief a day. He say that while he doesn't believe in endorsing Individual products, he believes the boomerang could be invaluable in locating "chop shops" that break up cars. Some 80 per cent of crime, he points out, is carried out by about four per cent of criminals.

Boomerang Tracking Inc. markets and distributes the Boomerang® tracking devices, proprietary products using technology patented by the Company. The Boomerang, Boomerang2™ and GSM-based units are the central devices in a system that uses the wireless networks of major regional telecommunications companies for tracking stolen assets. The Boomerang Tracking System is capable of locating stolen automobiles, heavy equipment and valuable assets. As a result of its success, the Company has received the endorsement of members of the insurance industry. The Boomerang devices are available and installed through a network of authorized dealers in Quebec and Ontario. The Company's head office, research and development centre and manufacturing facilities are located in Montreal, Quebec, with regional facilities located in Mississauga, Ontario and Orange County, California. Boomerang is a registered trademark and Boomerang2 is a trademark of Boomerang Tracking Inc. The shares of Boomerang Tracking Inc. trade on The Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol BMG.