Your Property People

Tool theft is plaguing the construction industry with more than half of builders in the UK having had their tools stolen, according to new research.

Overall some 51% of builders have had tools stolen with 46% suffered their side panel or door of their vans broken or prised open, 23% having had their van windows smashed and doors opened from the dashboard and 22% seeing van locks picked.

The research from the Federation of Master Builders (FMB) reveals the measures being taken to combat theft with 19% taking their tools in at night and 19% installing extra locks, while 18% park against a wall to deter thieves and 9% marking tools so they are traceable.

Other measures include 9% parking in an area not visible from the road, 7% installing safes in their vans, the same percentage installing CCTV, extra alarms and registering the serial numbers of their tools on an online database.

‘More than half of builders in the UK have fallen foul of tool theft with concerns growing over a crime wave wreaking havoc across the construction industry. Tools are being stolen from vans and direct from construction sites, with some builders even being assaulted by would-be thieves,’ said Brian Berry, chief executive of the FMB.

‘The impact of this on the nation’s smaller building firms is particularly disruptive. Not only is there a high cost in terms of both time and money spent replacing these expensive tools, and to fix the damage caused, but without the right tools, firms are simply unable to work. This is leading construction firms vulnerable at a time when other factors, such as skills shortages and material price rises, are already causing the sector a headache,’ he explained.

‘Of course, the best solution to this problem is builders preventing it from happening in the first place. Where possible, builders should bring tools inside at night. If that’s not possible, they should install extra locks or safes in the van and park against a wall or in a secluded location not visible from the road,’ he pointed out.

But he also pointed out that even when taking these precautions, theft can still occur. ‘We are also calling on the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity to the police. The courts have an important role to play too by ensuring they take this crime seriously, with appropriate sentencing when cases are brought before them,’ he added.

According to Sally Picker, crime reduction tactical advisor of Lincolnshire Police, said that the force, like others nationwide, work hard to ensure that as many cases as possible are brought before the courts. ‘A strong message needs to be sent to the thieves that commit these crimes so that they are left in no doubt that if they choose to commit these crimes, charges will be sought to match the emotional and financial impact that tool theft has on their victims,’ she said.

Andrew Radford of Radford Construction, explained that he had thousands of pounds worth of tools, PPE and a wallet stolen when a company van was broken into. ‘Losing the tools was a huge blow because it delayed work on site while we replaced them,’ he said.

‘We also had to spend a lot of time contacting our insurance company, the police and cancelling the cards. Also, because our builders’ merchants details were in the van, we had to set up passwords to make sure it was only company colleagues who could obtain goods on our account,’ he added.