Tool theft can mean more than replacing a few bits of kit. It can stop work, cost income and leave a business trying to recover while jobs are still waiting.
START HERE ↓More prevention advice, recovery resources, reporting information and practical tools are on the way.
We're looking for relevant businesses and brands to help us grow this resource. Sponsor the page, advertise here or talk to us about working together on useful content for the trade.
When tools disappear, the cost can quickly spread beyond the replacement value. Work can stop. Jobs can be delayed. Customers can be let down. Insurance excesses may need paying and specialist equipment may not be immediately available.
No single measure will stop every theft, but making tools harder to steal and easier to identify can make a difference.
Keep serial numbers, photographs, receipts and model details somewhere away from the van.
Think additional locks, alarms, internal storage, trackers and secure parking rather than relying on one measure alone.
Lighting, CCTV, access and where van doors are positioned can all help make opportunistic theft less attractive.
Make sure you understand what is actually covered, particularly tools left in a vehicle overnight.
Visible and permanent identification can make tools easier to recognise and harder to sell on anonymously.
Be mindful of what is visible through windows, on social media and when unloading expensive equipment.
Acting quickly can help with police reports, insurance claims and identifying stolen equipment.
Contact the police and obtain a crime reference number.
Check what evidence they need and start the claim promptly.
Provide serial numbers, photographs, receipts and identifying marks.
If you recognise your property, don't confront anyone yourself. Pass useful information to the police.
Stop Tool Theft is still under construction. We're working on more practical information and resources to help trades protect their equipment and know what to do when tools are stolen.
We're still building Stop Tool Theft and we'll keep adding practical information, resources and ideas that could help protect the tools the trade depends on.
More coming soon.