RAY STAFFORD
Van Watch’s six-factored strategy
Tool crime stats:
4. Deter Lobby magistrates for tougher sentencing; Encourage personal statements from victims; and Encourage tradespeople to mark their tools. 5. Limit damage Tradespeople need to be precise about what their insurance covers if and when their tools are stolen; Lobby insurance providers to provide better cover; and Signpost victims to support groups, as many (up to 40% according to a Van Watch survey) suffer from poor mental health and emotional stress. Stafford mentions the Lighthouse Club - The Construction Industry Charity, and Band of Builders, as examples of organisations that can provide support to tradespeople. 6. Data Encourage standardised data capturing amongst police forces; and Van Watch to compile more robust tool theft data to determine trends and best response.
1. Defend Lobby van manufacturers to increase load space security by creating a faction standard immobiliser locking system for vans – like there is with cars; and Encourage tradespeople to invest in aftermarket security such as a van vault or deadlocks. 2. Detect Lobby locally and nationally to create awareness about the problem; Encourage tool marking; Target Police and Crime Commissioners to devote more resources to preventing and solving tool theft; and Work with the National Business Crime Centre. 3. Disincentivise Encourage organisers of second hand marketplaces (online platforms and car boot sales) to take action to ensure tools
Every 9 mins How often a tool crime incident happens in the UK
13x Tradespeople are 13 times more likely to have their van rather than their house broken into £1m The amount the
industry is losing every day due to damaged vans, stolen tools and lost working time
42% The percentage of consumers (23%) and tradespeople (19%) who have bought second hand or refurbished tools 15%
for sale have not been stolen; and Persuade buyers to act responsibly by asking for invoices and proof of ownership.
Fewer than 15% of tools are marked up
proving that this particular tool has been nicked’.” The more that tradespeople mark their tools, the less likelihood of them ending up on second hand marketplaces, and the better equipped police will be to link stolen tools to a crime. Tool libraries matter Before launching Van Watch, Stafford was Managing Director at Williams & Co, a trade-only plumbing and heating supplies merchant in Fareham. During his time there, in collaboration with Makita and ArmourGuard, he set up Tool Angel, a tool library where plumbing and heating engineers can, at no cost, borrow tools if theirs had been stolen. “Nearly half the financial loss
to tradespeople is not because of the stolen tools or damaged van but from not being able to work without any tools. And that can have a knock-on effect of reputational damage, loss of clients and so forth. Our aim was to get a tradesperson with stolen tools back in operation within 24 hours of hitting the panic button.” Stafford hopes to do the same for all tradespeople through Van Watch but he needs buy-in from big merchants such as Jewson and Travis Perkins. “It’s a relatively cheap thing to do, because once you have those tools, they may depreciate but they won't vanish.”
says you must have proof of purchase. But tradespeople have built up stocks of tools over many years and receipts aren’t always available.” Members can speak with FMB Insurance about cover for tool theft. Stafford urges tradespeople to seek out insurance providers that specifically insure tools, rather than an all-inclusive policy that might let you down when the time comes to claim. 4. Sign up to a traceable marking system – marking your tools is going to be key if you ever hope to recover stolen tools. But scratching in your name, telephone number or postal code won’t be enough. It’s better to sign up with a traceable marking system,
which costs roughly £50 a month to trace around 50 tools. Traceability systems, which as of yet are not linked to insurance providers’ policies, enable tools to be returned to owners if recovered by police. “Tool theft, which is often incidental to the main crime police are investigating, means that without clear traceability, the evidential link to prove tools were stolen is going to be challenging and not something the police are going to put an enormous amount of effort into,” Stafford explains. “A police constable isn't going to drive 20 miles to knock on every door in a postcode etched on a tool asking if your Makita drill has been stolen? Whereas they probably will go to an online database and say, ‘We can nail the criminal by
Find out how best to protect your tools at www.fmbinsurance.co.uk
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Master Builder
www.fmb.org.uk
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