ISLAMABAD: High-tech security measures for most people would mean reduced worries, but as customers of local companies offering car tracking systems have discovered that is not always the case.

Car owners have expressed severe reservations about the quality of services provided by the tracking companies. They accuse the companies of not responding promptly whenever they seek location of their vehicle and of delayed response to theft complaints giving car snatchers and thieves to have ample time to escape.

Surprisingly, some police officers have also suffered on the hands of such tracking companies.

According to the local police, many tracker companies are unable to provide accurate location of vehicles when the owners approach them.

“Either they misguide by giving completely inaccurate information or use delaying tactics,” said sub-inspector Mohammad Riaz, “at times when they observe the car movement on abnormal times, they do not respond.”

“They neither cooperate with the customer nor with the police in locating the vehicles,” he said.

The sub-inspector elaborated that trackers are installed in all new brand cars purchased from 2010 onward on lease or directly, but the system has done little to help in reducing theft.

“Trackers immediately send signals to the companies’ head office if the device is being tampered with, but the companies do not freeze the engine promptly,” he said.

It is worth mentioning that in June, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Khursheed Khan lost his Toyota Corolla GLI model 2011 despite a modern tracking system installed in the vehicle.

The incident took place in Sector I-10/4 where the DSP had come over to condole the death of a friend’s family member.

He had stayed for around 10 minutes, but when he came out he found his vehicle missing from the spot where he had parked it.

Apparently, the DSP had an elaborate tracking system installed that sent pictures to his cell-phone of anyone who touched his vehicle, but that day the system failed.

In another auto-theft, the police have gone so far ahead to book a local tracker company of negligence and breach of trust because “they failed to fulfil the agreements with the owners to keep an eye on their vehicles.”

The case is about the theft of a vehicle in Sector I-8/2.

Civil engineer Ikramul Haq had paid Rs64,000 for the installation of a tracker in his brand new 2012 GLI Toyota Corolla, however, on September 9, thieves picked up the car from right outside his home.

To date the vehicle has not been traced.

“Shortly after the incident, I approached the tracker company at around 9:30pm and sought its help to locate my car, but they failed,” Mr Haq told Dawn.

He claims he made scores of calls to the tracker company till 4am in the morning, but every time the officials at the customer care centre inquired about the details and asked him to call back after five minutes.

“They did not respond to me properly, and admitted their failure in tracing the location of my vehicle,” he narrated, “and told me that either the tracking device installed in my car had been jammed or removed.”

Disappointed at the shoddy services provided to him, Mr Haq lodged a complaint against the tracker company in Industrial Area police station and nominated its officials.

In response the police registered a case against the tracker company and its officials on charge of PPC 406 (punishment for criminal breach of trust) along with unidentified persons on charge of 381-A (theft of a car or other motor vehicles).

“This should serve as a good precedent and would hopefully force companies to perform better, respond promptly, and help police track the vehicles,” said a police officer investigating the case.

When Dawn spoke to Capt (retired) Zohaib, the security in-charge of the tracking company, he claimed that his company attended and promptly responded to all the complaints of Mr Haq.

Replying to a question over the registration of a case against the company and its staff, including him, he showed ignorance. “The owner was annoyed after his vehicle was stolen and blamed the company,” he added.

He said that his company provides inner security and not outer security of the vehicle.

“If anyone tampers with the inner security system attached to the vehicle’s battery, it will come to our notice. But if anyone touches or damages the body and screen or window of the vehicle, which came under outer security arrangements, it would remain unnoticed,” he added.

He said that there was a possibility that the tracking device was stolen without coming in the notice of the company.

“The wiring system could have been damaged unintentionally during service or repair works of the vehicle by a motor mechanic. In such cases the company informed the vehicle’s owner about the damage and asked them to get the system repaired from the company,” he added.