Calls to act over ‘crisis’ of van man tool crime
A CRIMEWAVE is wreaking havoc across the construction industry and “urgent action” is required to stop stolen tools being sold online, say campaigners.
Buckingham MP Greg Smith will this week call for a new law to crack down on criminals. He wants marketplace websites to be required to list the serial numbers of power tools and equipment, so police and victims can track down stolen goods.
Mr Smith said that criminals in his constituency have targeted parked vans, and warned of a “growing crisis for tradespeople”.
He said builders were forced to “beg and borrow” equipment so as not to lose their livelihoods.
Research by Direct Line insurers found tools worth more than £83million were stolen in England and Wales between 2017 and 2019. It reported just three per cent were reunited with their owners.
More than a quarter of tools were taken from vehicles (28 per cent), with a fifth stolen from homes and only 10 per cent going missing from worksites or places of business. A survey of tradespeople by Opinium last year found roofers had been the worst hit group, with 65 per cent saying tools had been stolen, followed by electricians, plumbers and carpenters.
Brian Berry, chief executive of the Federation of Master Builders, backed the MP’S proposals.
He said: “With eight in 10 builders reporting that they have had tools stolen before, I support the calls for serial numbers to be listed on online marketplaces. It’s shameful that over a 40-year working life, a builder will typically lose £10,000 and six working days to tool theft.”
Mr Smith will attempt to change the law by introducing legislation on Tuesday, although it would need government support to become law.
He said: “Overnight, livelihoods are being lost as tools are stolen halfway through a job or, even worse, at the start of a project.
“A worrying number never get their tools back and suffer devastating setbacks to their work.”