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16 Summer 2021 A dedicated specialist police unit has been launched to target construction plant and agricultural machinery theft. The newly-established dedicated Agricultural and Construction Equipment (ACE) unit will be managed and operated within Opal, which is the national intelligence unit focused on serious organised acquisitive crime (SOAC) across the UK. The theft of equipment from construction sites and farms has a signi cant impact on the businesses targeted from both the loss and replacement of the equipment taken, in addition to the cost of temporarily reduced activity and downtime. The launch of the Construction Equipment Association (CEA) owned O cial CESAR Scheme ( www.cesarscheme.org ) ba ck in 2007, has had a major impact on criminality across both sectors, driving down theft signi cantly for machinery brands that have adopted the scheme. The ‘foundation’ launch of ACE took place in April 2021, where the new unit was introduced to police forces nationwide, key partners and collaborating trade associations. The key message was that cross-industry cooperation is crucial for the success of the new unit and its mantra is that ‘prevention is better than the cure’. Opal was established in April 2019 under the governance of DCC Amanda Blakeman, the national police lead for acquisitive crime. The unit has 10 intelligence sta , including intelligence analysts and researchers, alongside police o cers, under the day-to-day lead of Detective Superintendent Neil Austin. Newly-launched police unit concentrates on collaboration to prevent site and machinery losses. From left: Tom Grundey, Neil Austin and Ernie Locke. ACE APPROACH TO TACKLING THEFT