Tradespeople across the UK have called on the government to impose stricter regulation when it comes tool theft. This news comes after recently published research has shown that the proportion of tradespeople that have been affected by tools being stolen is at least one third. This is costing approximately £3,000 in total when it comes to tool replacement and lost earnings due to equipment having been stolen.
What do the statics reveal?
The data which has been highligh99ed by the firm Simply Business shows that a staggering one in three tradespeople in the country has been affected by the theft of their equipment. As a result, as part of the call for tighter regulations, tradespeople have algo urged on the government to impose stricter legislation when it comes to second-hand tools being sold. In addition, the government has been encouraged to also have a higher minimum for those who have been convicted of stealing equipment.
What is the impact of tool theft?
When tools are taken, this has a myriad of complications. As previously mentioned, it means that the tradesperson can end up losing a considerable amount of income (an average of £870 in lost earnings and a staggering £2,135 average spend on replacing lost tools), and it can also cause costly delays to the building project for the homeowner. After all, if the equipment is stolen it can end up impacting on the schedule of the entire project.
What is the government doing to prevent theft of tools?
In the survey that was carried out by Simply Business, involving over 1,000 people working as tradespeople, one of the questions asked was whether or not the believed the government was doing enough to protect them against tool theft.
If tools end up being stolen, it poses a risk financially to both the tradesperson and the person hiring them.
The large majority believed that there was not enough being done to prevent possible tool theft. For example, a whopping 84% stated that they needed to do more in terms of regulation. What’s more, over 60% stated the need for longer sentences for those who ended up being convicted of tool theft. 55% also highlighted the need for bigger fines for those who were convicted.
How can the risk of tool theft be reduced?
The survey also analysed where most tradespeople reported having their tools stolen. Approximately one in five said that their equipment was taken from their van whilst it was parked on a street, which is usually where most tradespeople tend to park if working on a home renovation project like a loft conversion.
With this information in mind, what can people do to reduce the possibility of tool theft? We recommend the following:
- Always record the serial numbers of tools you have
- Make sure that your equipment is insured so that you are covered even if something goes wrong
- Parking your vehicle against a wall is recommended as it makes it harder for thieves to open the rear doors.
- Remove equipment from your vehicle overnight
- Try to add identification marks to your equipment, as this makes it harder for them to get sold on.
