Spotter system nabs stolen vehicles

When Frank de Jong and his wife went to the movies one night in 1999, they didn't expect to return home to find themselves the victims of a burglary and a car theft.

Thieves had broken into the couple's Papatoetoe home, loaded household goods into Mrs de Jong's Mazda MX5, and driven off.

The car was recovered a few hours later, but it was "totalled".

The incident got Mr de Jong thinking about harnessing the power of technology to catch car thieves.

The fruit of his labour,Spotter.co.nz, was launched in May last year.

The system allows anyone who thinks he or she might have seen a suspect vehicle to text the registration number to Spotter, which will then run the plate through its database of stolen vehicles - provided by insurance companies.

Anyone providing information leading to the recovery of a stolen vehicle could be in line for a reward, starting at a minimum $150.

Any payout will be forthcoming only if the tip-off is "legit", as Mr de Jong doesn't want car thieves making off with vehicles, then claiming reward money for reporting them.

Since the service was launched, Spotter has played a crucial part in the recovery of a $60,000 Alfa Romeo and a $35,000 Jaguar, among others.

Thirty-six per cent of the vehicles recovered through Spotter have been found in central Auckland, and Mitsubishi models have proved the most popular vehicles targeted. Most of the vehicles stolen were more than five years old.