BeeSecure GPS tracker used to recover stolen property

A GPS device developed with help from the Government of Saskatchewan has helped police recover stolen property.

According to the provincial government, the BeeSecure device was used by the RCMP and Saskatoon police earlier this year to track and retrieve stolen goods.

BeeSecure, a system of GPS tracking tags, was originally developed by Saskatoon’s Rivercity Inovations Ltd. to protect beehives from theft in remote areas.

The project received a $20,000 grant through Innovation Saskatchewan’s Rural Crime Innovation Challenge in 2017 as well as additional funding through the National Research Council of Canada’s Industrial Research Assistance Program.

The company’s low-profile GPS tags can be placed on valuables such as vehicles and the owner is alerted by text message if the tag moves unexpectedly.

According to the Saskatchewan government, the technology was piloted in the Rural Municipality of Mayfield, where an item with a BeeSecure tag attached was stolen in February. The device sent texts to town administrators, exactly as intended, and the information led the police to recover the property and make multiple arrests.

“Curbing crime in rural and remote areas of our province is paramount,” Christine Tell, minister of corrections, policing and public safety, said in a statement.

“We were happy to support the development of BeeSecure and were thrilled when we found out that it was being used to solve actual crimes here in our province.”

In the same statement, Jeff Shirley, the founder and CEO of Rivercity Innovations, said he’s still working to bring more innovative tech solutions to Saskatchewan, and thanked those who have supported the BeeSecure project.