Clearview National March 2020 - Issue 220 | Page 82

INSTALLERSUPPORT
Calls to Stamp out Tool Theft suffer
major setback from snap election
After attracting 32,000 signatures in just four weeks, the government has
shut down an official petition to combat the shocking rise in tool theft.
» THE PETITION LAUNCHED BY
Simply Business, the UK’s leading provider
of small business insurance to over half a
million SMEs, called for greater fines for those
convicted of tool theft and tighter regulations
on the selling of second-hand tools.
Now, the digital broker has expressed its
disappointment that the snap election is
obstructing efforts to review and tackle the
staggering increase in tool theft.
It was growing at an average of 1,000
signatures a day and at one stage was the
fastest growing Government petition in
the whole UK, at a time when British
politics has been dominated by the
Brexit debate.
However, Parliament’s decision to
call a General Election on Thursday
12th December has seen purdah
swing into action, thus pausing
Simply Business’ efforts to reach the
goal of 100,000 signatures which would see
the issue debated in the House of Commons.
The sudden dissolution of Parliament meant
that all live petitions were suspended not
to be reopened so a number of burgeoning
campaigns had their growing momentum
immediately stopped.
Simply Business’ campaign aimed to
highlight the growing tool theft epidemic,
which is destroying the livelihoods of
tradespeople up and down the country. One
in three (37%) tradespeople have had their
tools stolen, costing victims over £3,000 on
average, and leaving the vast majority unable
to work. A staggering 84% of tradespeople
also don’t believe the government is doing
enough to prevent tool theft.
With all of the data suggesting the
problem’s only getting worse – tool theft
related insurance claims have increased 54%
in the last two years alone – there’s little sign
of the issue going away.
Just seven days prior to the petition being
taken down, the Government’s formal
response to the petition reaching 10,000
signatures was to state it “has no plans
86 » M AR 2020 » CL EARVI E W- UK . C O M
to amend existing
legislation” and “The Theft
Act 1968 includes robust
measures for dealing with crimes of theft and
handling stolen goods, including tool theft.”
Numerous petitions have been launched
to combat tool theft in the last 10 years, each
ending with close to 30,000 signatures and
marked by a political response which wouldn’t
commit to any action. Simply Business’
petition was designed to build a coalition of
stakeholders who would come together to try
and end the scourge of tool theft that blights
British tradespeople once and fall.
An alarming 84% of tradespeople also
don’t believe the government is doing enough
to prevent tool theft. Just under two thirds
(60%) surveyed believe there needs to be
greater sentences for thieves, while more
than half (55%) believe there should be
greater fines for those convicted and half of
tradespeople believe there should be greater
funding for police.
Bea Montoya, Chief Operating Officer at
Simply Business, commented: “The success
of the stamp out tool theft petitionwithin its
first month reflects the significance of this
widespread issue. With the frequency and cost
of the crime on a continual rise, clearly there
is a need to act. 84% of tradespeople feel the
Government isn’t doing enough on this issue
and at Simply Business we empathise with
tradespeople.
“We’ve reached a stage in 2019 where a van
is broken into every 23 minutes in the UK,
with 1 in 3 tradespeople having had their tools
stolen. For our customers in the trade, it’s far
more than an inconvenience, the effects are
devastating. Stolen tools removes their ability
to earn a living.
“For the Government to state it has no
plans to amend - or even review - 50 year old
legislation is a missed opportunity to find a
solution to this growing crisis. How bad will
things have to get before the Government acts?
“As we enter winter - the worst times of the
year for tool theft - and with the upcoming
general election, tradespeople simply cannot
afford for this issue to once again slip down
the political agenda. In the meantime, we
will keep highlighting the facts related to this
crime and continue sharing tips to prevent
becoming a victim of tool theft, which is the
least that our nation’s tradespeople deserve.”
www.simplybusiness.co.uk