Stolen Excavator Gets Recovered

Resident

About 1930 hours on Tuesday 19th May 2026 a member of the public approached PC Lambie, Crianlarich Community Officer whilst off duty and alerted him to suspicious activity on a site near to Falls of Falloch.

It was suspected that an excavator was removed from site without permission from the lawful owner. 

Officers from across Rural Stirling deployed to the area and traced a white van towing a trailer with an excavator on board just outside Callander.

The vehicle was found to be baring false registration plates, had no insurance, and the driver found not to possess a valid driver’s licence. Further enquiry was carried out with the excavator, and trailer and both items were found to be stolen from different sites across Stirling.

Two males were arrested for a variety of dishonesty and road traffic offences.

Please keep an eye out around farms, yards, industrial units, lay-bys and back roads as stolen machinery is often moved quickly through rural communities. If it were not for the vigilant eyes of our community this excavator may not have been traced and returned to its rightful owner. 

Please share this message across your communities. If you see something that looks suspicious report it to Police Scotland by dialling 999 in an emergency, 101 if it’s not urgent or by using the Contact Us form.

By working together we can tackle rural crime.