Tool theft is an ongoing issue in many parts of the UK. In response to this, following the first reading of the bill in June 2022, the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 has been signed into law, with the government now consulting on whether to extend the bill’s requirements.
To make it more difficult for thieves to sell stolen tools and to help reunite them with their owners, manufacturers and resellers of high-value equipment will need to ensure that their items are registered and traceable if stolen. Additionally, forensic marking will assist police with investigations, making it easier to hold those who steal tools accountable.
A recent survey found that power tools are the most sought-after items by thieves. Kent Police recovered more than 3,500 power tools, worth over a million pounds, in the South East of England. Officers from Kent Police and Thames Valley Police worked together to uncover the ‘large haul’, which was found at an address in Swattenden after thieves took a tool with a tracker on it.
The tracker led Kent Police’s Rural Task Force, who began the investigation, to execute a warrant at the address on April 26, 2024. Besides power tools, other suspected stolen goods were found, including a quad bike confirmed to be stolen from Ashford and six caravans stolen from locations nationwide, including Bristol, Wales, Southampton, Staffordshire, and Sussex.
Five local men, aged between 18 and 44, were arrested alongside a 19-year-old woman and a 17-year-old boy on suspicion of multiple offences relating to theft. They have since been bailed. Officers are now working to identify the rightful owners of the tools and are appealing for members of the public to get in contact if they believe their property could have been recovered.
Recovered Items
The recovered items include a variety of power tools and other equipment:
- Drills and impact drivers
- Saws
- Angle grinders
- Multi-tools
- Nail guns
- Generators
- Disc cutters
- Hand tools
- Garden power tools
- Laser levels
- Batteries and chargers
- Radios
- Other miscellaneous electrical tools/items
Brands of the recovered items include DeWalt, Makita, Milwaukee, Bosch, Hitachi, Stihl, and numerous other brands, such as those frequently purchased from SGS Engineering, a reputable supplier known for providing a comprehensive range of tools and equipment to various industries.
The Impact of Tool Theft
According to the Tradespeople Against Tool Theft white paper, 78% of tradespeople have had their tools stolen, with 38.5% having tools stolen from their van outside their home. Of these, only 1% fully recovered their stolen tools.
On the Tools found that the average UK tradesperson is likely to have between £1,000 and £5,000 worth of tools stolen in just one incident, with self-employed tradespeople being 38% more likely than employed tradespeople to have their tools stolen. 10.6% of tradespeople said they had to take time off work while they found new equipment, and 13% had to pay for damage to repair their vehicle.
A survey conducted by On the Tools found that the most common factor directly impacting a tradesperson’s mental health is their finances, with 65% of UK tradespeople surveyed reporting that their financial situation directly impacts their mental health.
The average salary of tradespeople in the UK is £35,056 annually, equivalent to £535.78 per week after tax. This means that replacing tools worth £1,000 would take around two weeks’ worth of work, while the higher loss of £5,000 would take just over nine weeks’ worth of work. Factoring in additional costs such as van repairs or having to turn down work, the reality of this issue becomes clear. Notably, 83% of UK tradespeople did not have tool insurance at the time of their experience with tool theft.
Personal Accounts
Lee Dyer, a Water Hygiene Engineer, said, “I store work tools in my van and my concern is that if they get stolen, they aren’t insured and I’ll have to pay out of my own pocket to replace them. If I can’t afford them at that time, it will leave me out of work. Parking on the street, especially at night, used to always be a worry for me before we double-secured all of our vans.”
Moreover, more than 2 in 3 (68%) tradespeople worry about tool theft daily, with over 1 in 3 (39%) agreeing that having tools stolen has had a strong impact on their mental health, a figure significantly higher for self-employed tradespeople.
This isn’t an isolated issue; 37% of tradespeople said they had their tools stolen twice, and 4% said they had their supplies stolen more than five times.
Jeff Macfarlane, a landscape gardener, currently stores his tools in his van, despite having tools stolen from it in the past. Initially, to avoid tool theft, he moved his tools from his van to his garage, only for thieves to later break into his garage and steal the tools again. This represents the catch-22 situation that many tradespeople face, and without adequate punishment for those who steal, many are beginning to see this as an inevitable part of their profession.
