6 | FEBRUARY 2020
News
Read online at www.proinstaller.co.uk
CALLS TO STAMP OUT TOOL
THEFT SUFFER MAJOR SETBACK
FROM SNAP ELECTION
• Tool theft related insurance
claims see 54% increase
in the last two years, with
widespread implications for
tradespeople across the UK
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.
• A petition to Stamp Out Tool
Theft attracted just under
32,000 signatures in four weeks
but was closed five months
early due to general election,
despite being the UK’s fastest
growing petition in October
The petition launched by
Simply Business, the UK’s lead-
ing 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 ex-
pressed 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 grow-
ing Government petition in the
whole UK, at a time when British
politics has been dominated by
the Brexit debate.
However, Parliament’s deci-
sion to call a General Election
on Thursday 12th December has
seen purdah swing into action,
thus pausing Simply Business’ ef-
forts to reach the goal of 100,000
signatures which would see the
issue debated in the House of
Commons. The sudden disso-
lution of Parliament meant that
all live petitions were suspended
not to be reopened so a number
of burgeoning campaigns had
their growing momentum imme-
diately 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 govern-
ment is doing enough to prevent
tool theft.
• Simply Business expresses
disappointment at the
Government’s response to
date - yet to commit to
review 50-year-old legislation
to tackle 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 lit-
tle 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 to amend existing legis-
lation” 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 re-
reached a stage in 2019 where
‘ a We’ve
van is broken into every 23 minutes
in the UK, with 1 in 3 tradespeople
having had their tools stolen
’
sponse 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 tradespeo-
ple also don’t believe the govern-
ment 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 Operat-
ing Officer at Simply Business,
commented: “The success of the
stamp out tool theft petition-
within 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 Busi-
ness we empathise with trades-
people.
“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 polit-
ical 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 na-
tion’s tradespeople deserve.”
www.simplybusiness.co.uk