A tracking system comprises an arming unit, a motion sensor, a direction sensor, a processor, and a transceiver. The arming unit is switchable so as to place the tracking system in either an armed state or an unarmed state. The motion sensor is arranged to activate the tracking system when the system is in an armed state and motion is detected. The direction sensor and the motion sensor output signals indicative of the direction of travel and distance travelled, respectively, to the processor when the system is activated. The processor acts upon said signals so as to generate an output indicative of the distance and direction of travel. The transceiver actuable to transmit the output of the processor to a remote base station in order that the position of a tracked object can be monitored remotely.