Your phone lights up. A Gaffar GPS theft alert.
Maybe it is 2AM. Maybe you are at work and the vehicle is parked outside. Maybe it is your daughter’s car and she is not answering her phone.
The alert is there. You do not know what to do next.
Most people don’t — until it happens to them. This post tells you exactly what to do, step by step, from the moment the notification arrives to the moment your vehicle is back. Read it now, before you ever need it.
What a GPS Theft Alert Actually Means
Not every alert means your vehicle has been stolen. GPS alerts can fire from unexpected movement, a geofence boundary being crossed, or someone else moving the vehicle. Before treating an alert as a confirmed theft, take ten seconds:
- Could a family member or someone you trust have moved the vehicle?
- Is the movement fast and directional — consistent with driving — or slow and unusual?
- Has the vehicle moved to an area where it should not be at this time?
If you cannot account for the movement, or if the vehicle is somewhere it has no reason to be, treat it as a theft. The cost of responding to a false alert is a five-minute call. The cost of waiting on a real one is measured differently.
Stolen vehicles in Trinidad are typically moved to a chop shop and stripped within approximately 30 minutes. Every minute between the alert and your first call matters.
Step 1 — Call Gaffar GPS First
Call 220-1000 immediately. This call will take under a minute.
Tell us: your vehicle has been stolen, or you believe it has been taken.
That is all we need to begin. From the moment you report it, our team starts coordinating. You do not need to describe the vehicle in detail. You do not need to know where it is. We have that information. What we need is the report from you so that everything that happens next has your authorisation behind it.
While you are making your next call, we are already working.
Step 2 — Call 999 to File Your Police Report
Call 999 immediately after hanging up with us.
Report the theft to the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. Give them your vehicle details, last known location, the time you discovered the vehicle was missing, and tell them it has Gaffar GPS installed and we will be reaching out to them directly to coordinate the tracking response.
While you are on the line with 999, our team is contacting the nearest police stations and available units to identify what assistance is possible in your area. We are not waiting for your police report to be filed before we act — we begin as soon as you call us in Step 1. The 999 report formalises the incident for the investigation that follows.
Do not go to a police station. Call 999. The telephone report is what the system requires, and time spent travelling to a station is time the vehicle is moving further away. The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service operates the 999 emergency line around the clock.
Step 3 — Call Us Back After Your 999 Report
Once you have spoken to 999 and your report is confirmed, call us back on 220-1000.
This confirms to our team that the formal police report has been made. From this point, we are coordinating directly with the nearest TTPS units to intercept and recover the vehicle. Our team stays active on the case, working to locate the vehicle and guide police units toward it.
You will be kept informed. You do not need to keep calling — we will call you with updates as the situation develops.
What Happens in the Next 17 Minutes
Our average recovery time is 17 minutes.
That number reflects what happens when the three steps above are followed without delay. The alert fires. The customer calls us. We begin. The 999 report is filed. We coordinate with police units. The vehicle is intercepted.
Seventeen minutes is a record, not a guarantee — no recovery can be guaranteed. What it tells you is that the system works, that the process is practised, and that speed is built into every part of how we operate. Gaffar GPS Solutions has maintained a 100% recovery rate since 2012. Not one vehicle permanently lost.
Southern Trinidad recorded a 181% increase in vehicle theft in Q1 2024 compared to the prior year. The national recovery rate across all vehicles stolen in T&T sits at approximately 39%. The gap between 39% and 100% is not hardware. It is the response process — and how quickly it is activated.
Do not follow the vehicle yourself. Do not attempt to locate or confront the thieves. Your safety is not negotiable. Call us. Call 999. Let the coordination do what it is designed to do.
After Recovery — What to Expect
When the vehicle is found and intercepted, it is typically brought to the nearest police station for fingerprinting and forensic analysis as part of the criminal investigation. After that process is complete, the vehicle is released back to you.
How long this takes depends on the complexity of the investigation and TTPS availability. In straightforward cases, it can be as quick as a few hours. In more complex cases — particularly if the vehicle was used in further criminal activity after being stolen — the release window can extend to 2 to 3 days, sometimes longer.
The faster the recovery, the shorter this window tends to be. A vehicle recovered in 17 minutes has spent far less time with the thieves than one recovered hours later. Less time means less activity, which means a cleaner investigation and a faster release back to the owner.
Once you have your vehicle back, contact your insurance provider to report the incident. Keep a copy of your 999 report number and the police station case reference for that process.
For more context on how GPS tracking works as a theft deterrent in Trinidad — including why the recovery record holds even when thieves use countermeasures — the vehicle anti-theft page covers the full protection system.
Frequently Asked Questions
Should I follow my stolen car using the GPS app?
No. Do not attempt to follow, locate, or confront the thieves yourself. The GPS app gives you visibility, but that visibility is for our team and the police — not for a pursuit. Call 220-1000, call 999, and let the coordinated response work. Your safety is the priority.
What if my car is stolen at night or on a weekend?
Our team is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week — including public holidays. The 220-1000 line is always answered by a real person. Nights and weekends are when theft most commonly occurs. That is precisely why we do not keep office hours.
How long does it take to strip a stolen car in Trinidad?
Stolen vehicles in Trinidad are typically stripped within approximately 30 minutes of arrival at a chop shop. This is why the first minutes after an alert are critical — not the hours. Following the steps in this post immediately after an alert fires is what keeps a vehicle intact and recoverable.
Will my insurance cover a stolen car in Trinidad?
This depends on your individual policy and whether you have comprehensive cover. Most comprehensive policies include theft. Your insurer will require a copy of your TTPS police report and may require a police case number or station reference. Contact your insurer as soon as your vehicle is recovered and the police process is complete.
What if the alert fires but the vehicle has not actually been stolen?
Call us on 220-1000. We can check the vehicle’s status, review the movement data with you, and help you determine whether the alert requires a police response or not. False alarms are handled the same way — we answer, we assess, and we advise. There is no cost to calling.
If the alert fires tonight, call 220-1000 first. Our team answers every time.
Call 220-1000 or WhatsApp us at 868-220-1000.