EVERY 20 MINUTES TOOLS ARE STOLEN FROM A VAN!!
Tools are stolen from a tradesperson’s vehicle every 20 minutes in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, according to research from insurance company Direct Line.
CITS have been alerted to the latest Construction Index article of the alarming number of tools stolen from vans. Freedom of information requests to police forces revealed that there were 28,681 cases of tool theft from vehicles in 2019, equating to 78 incidences every day of the week.
Of the 28,681 incidences of tool theft, 30% were reported in London, 27% were in the northwest.
Taking into account population density, the northwest had the most accounts of tool theft per resident, with Lancashire Constabulary reporting 4,440 thefts in one year.
The regional figures are staggering and highlights the fact more needs to be done to protect tools.
The issue of a stolen item is more than just the cost of the item stolen but can cost a business significantly more.
CITS initiative MicroCESAR powered by award winning Datatag technology Is one solution to help identify stolen items. Following the success of the official construction and agricultural equipment security and registration scheme, CESAR, the latest system protects smaller items with the same state of the art Datatag security marking technologies.
To combat theft and aid recovery MicroCESAR combines both overt and covert deterrents alongside a low one off cost and registration on a secure and accredited 24/7 police accessible database.
The CESAR Scheme has become the industry standard for security marking with support from local authorities, leading contractors, the farming community, the police, insurers and hire and finance companies
Micro CESAR acts as a significant deterrent against theft due to its almost unbeatable layers of security marking technologies and as an invaluable aid to recovery. Micro CESAR marked equipment are more than twice as likely to be recovered as unmarked equipment.
The regional figures are set out in the chart below taken from the Construction Index.
| Region | Number | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| London | 8633 | 30 |
| Northwest | 7627 | 27 |
| Yorkshire & Humber | 3333 | 12 |
| West Midlands | 2499 | 9 |
| East of England | 2303 | 8 |
| Southeast | 1426 | 5 |
| East Midlands | 1249 | 4 |
| Southwest | 902 | 3 |
| Northern Ireland | 221 | <1 |
| Northeast | 176 | <1 |
| Wales | 112 | <1 |
| England, Wales and NI total | 28681 | 100% |
