Industry News
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
20
formal response
to the petition
reaching 10,000
signatures was to
state it “has no plans 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
JAN/FEB 2020
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