By northeastNOW Staff

Rural Crime Innovation Challenge unveils ‘BeeSecure’ property tracking device

Jun 25, 2018 | 5:00 PM

A beekeeper’s high-tech property tracking device designed to cut back on rural crime is yielding “very promising” results in testing, according to the Saskatchewan Government.

The ‘BeeSecure’ tracking device and app was designed by Jeff Shirley, of Rivercity Technology Ltd., as part of Saskatchewan’s Rural Crime Innovation Challenge. The challenge was issued by the provincial government to encourage the use of technology to improve safety for rural citizens and their property, a hot-button issue for many in Saskatchewan.

In a 2017 interview with paNOW, Shirley said his technology was first designed to protect beehives on his apiary near Wakaw. The ‘BeeSecure’ is a GPS tracking box, he said, which can be placed discreetly on valuables such as trailers or vehicles and alerts the owners if any tampering occurs. The box also tracks the property’s location, which means it can be shared with police.

Shirley’s project won the challenge in December, and he has completed a 16-week residency program with the Ministry of Corrections and Policing. Now, the ‘BeeSecure’ is being tested in the R.M. of Mayfield, the Province said, with “very promising” initial results.

“We are pleased with the platform the Innovation Challenge provided to develop a leading-edge solution to help reduce rural crime,” Shirley said in a statement. “We have helped create a solution that will contribute positively to tackling this issue in Saskatchewan.”

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Tina Beaudry-Mellor, minister responsible for Innovation Saskatchewan, said the Rural Crime Innovation Challenge addresses a serious concern felt across the province.

“We have heard from many residents across the province who are concerned about the rise in crime, particularly in our rural communities where the closest neighbour may be miles away,” Beaudry-Mellor said in a statement released Monday. “We knew that someone in Saskatchewan would have the skills, talent, and innovative vision to design a solution that would offer rural residents and farmers more security.”

According to the Province, products developed through an Innovation Challenge may be commercialized after the pilot testing phase is complete.

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