Councils Considering Using GPS Tracking Devices In Equipment

Various Sydney councils in Australia are starting to fit all their waste disposal trucks and lawn mowers with GPS tracking devices to help cut down on theft. The GPS devices will allow councils to view their equipment at any given time.

Another council in Sydney has already seen the benefit of having GPS tracking devices installed in their equipment, in the two years since having a GPS tracking system in place they have recovered roughly £100,000 worth of stolen equipment. The other advantage with GPS tracking system is the ability to monitor how long vehicles have stopped for and at what speed they are travelling at.

Various councils are also considering installing GPS tracking for security reasons as workers are often by themselves on single manned street sweepers, and can be vulnerable to being victims of crime. A GPS tracking system could allow councils to pinpoint a worker who calls in with an urgent call concerning a threat to is safety. This can then be passed onto the police with the exact position of the vehicle allowing them to intervene without delay.

Whether GPS tracking devices will eventually be used by all the Sydney councils in some capacity or another in the future is still to be decided.