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Campaigners against tool theft and – as important – the resale of those stolen goods – are due to gather in central London on Monday, February 3. Proposed is a โgo-slow’ convoy from Brent Cross to Westminster, driving through the area for two hours.
Founder of campaign group Trades United, Shoaib Awan, himself an engineer, said: “On February 3, I will bring tradespeople across the country together once again at Parliament Square for the new Government to see the distress thieves have caused to their livelihoods. Tool theft numbers are rising year on year and not enough is being done by the Government to protect the trades. A crime reference number is not acceptable. We donโt want policies that donโt work, we need strict enforcement and a crackdown operation with immediate effect.
โIt’s distressing how widespread tool theft has become, impacting not only livelihoods but also mental well-being and family stability. The lack of effective intervention from law enforcement only exacerbates the problem. Businesses su๏ฌer not only from the loss of tools but also from the subsequent financial burdens such as increased insurance costs and repairs. It’s essential for communities, policy-makers, and law enforcement agencies to work together to address this epidemic and provide support for those affected.โ
An initial demonstration was on June 3, during the 2024 election campaign. Organisers say that their aim again is to call for stronger deterrents against thieves and more effective measures to combat the sale of stolen tools. An online petition to UK Parliament ahead of the first rally gained some 46,000 signatures; other, similar petitions have gained similarly large support.
According to the organisers the previous rally gained traction in the trade, and they give credit to the forensic marking product manufacturer SelectaDNA and the Metropolitan Police, for tool-marking events.
Some background
While the UK Government points to the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, campaigners point out there is already a law against theft, and the handling of stolen goods. See also the article, ‘Tool theft costs lives’, in the January edition of Professional Security, when the consultant Frank Cannon chaired a panel at the London Build trade show in November, about theft from construction sites, including of tools, typically from vans left overnight.
Among the panel was Lee Wilcox of On The Tools; see more at https://www.onthetools.tv/home/tradespeople-against-tool-theft-whitepaper/. As he stated, most trades people will say that they have suffered tool theft; and next to none have recovered their property.
