Stolen Already? How to Track Down Your Tools After a Theft

Discovering your tools are gone is gut-wrenching. But if your kit is tagged with SpacePaper, you're not powerless — you have something most theft victims don't: a live trail. Here's how to use it properly.

1. Open the map and confirm movement

Open Localizit and check the last known location of each tagged item. If the location is updating, your tools are near someone carrying a phone — usually on the move. The location-history playback lets you scrub back through recent pings to see the direction of travel and where they've been.

2. Do NOT go after them yourself

No tool is worth your safety. Confronting thieves — especially organised ones — is dangerous and can compromise a prosecution. Let the location do the talking and let the police act on it.

3. Report it and quote your tracking

Call 101 (or 999 if a crime is in progress) and report the theft. Tell them you have live electronic tracking on the items and can share the current location. Note your crime reference number — you'll need it for insurance and to give the police a single point of reference.

4. Share a live link with the police

From Localizit you can generate a secure share link that shows the live location and history of your stolen items, then send it straight to the officer dealing with your case. They see exactly what you see, in real time, without needing the app. We cover this in detail in our guide on sharing tracking with the police.

5. Keep the evidence tidy

• Don't delete anything — the full ping history is your evidence.
• Screenshot key moments (first movement, current location) with timestamps.
• Keep your serial-number register handy to identify recovered items as yours.

Tracking gets your tools located. A clean serial-number register is what gets them back in your hands and your insurance settled — that's next.