Call for tougher action over tool theft and resale

Trades United says in the past six years more than 44,500 tool theft incidents have been reported

Hundreds of tradespeople in London called for tougher enforcement of the law to prevent the theft and resale of stolen tools as they held a rally in Parliament Square on Monday.

Trades United, which says it represents the industry, claims in the past six years more than 44,500 incidents have been reported across the UK, but accuses the government of failing to take action.

About 300 vehicles from across the UK took part in the demonstration calling for existing laws to be enforced.

The Metropolitan Police declined to comment.

Roy Melville said he realised his tools were stolen after "seeing a big hole underneath the handle" of his van

Roy Melville, the owner of Notting Hill Handyman, had £1,500 worth of his tools stolen, with additional costs of repairing his van and losing work from having to reschedule projects with clients.

He said one of his vans was broken into in February while his team were working on a night-time commercial project in Muswell Hill.

"We heard the alarm go off, so we came rushing out and noticed it was our alarm, and then the dreaded moment of going off to the back of the van and seeing a big hole underneath the handle.

"I opened the door, checked to see what was missing and you just got the panic to see what was missing.

"We had to cut the shift short that evening because now that van is open and vulnerable."

Trades United say tool theft enforcement "is lacking"

'A big hole underneath the handle'

Among items stolen were his main tool bag, which contained his basic hand tools, a cordless hoover, batteries and all the small drill bits and tools he would use on a day to day basis.

"We count ourselves lucky. We were using our more expensive specialist tools (at the time) otherwise they would have been in the van and it could have been a lot worse."

He added he "knew more people who had been affected" by the issue than not.

Mr Melville says he knows "more people than not" who have been affected by tool theft

As part of its campaign, Trades United said it wants the government to impose a £10,000 fine on event organisers of car boot sales and markets that permit the resale of stolen tools.

In a statement it said this would "reduce the opportunities for thieves to offload stolen goods", and that the frequency of vehicle break-ins and thefts would decrease significantly.

The Theft Act 1986 addresses the handling of stolen goods, stipulating:

• A person handles stolen goods if, knowing or believing them to be stolen, they dishonestly receive, retain, remove, dispose of, or assist in the realisation of the goods for another's benefit.

• A person found guilty of handling stolen goods can face up to fourteen years imprisonment upon conviction.

"Despite these provisions, enforcement is lacking, with crime reference numbers issued without thorough investigation into the crimes or the locations where stolen goods are resold," Trade United said.

Liberal Democrat MP for Richmond Park, Sarah Olney said:

“This Conservative Government has let crime rates soar whilst cutting frontline police resources to the bone.

“It is clear that the Conservatives simply cannot be trusted to keep our communities safe or bring criminals to justice.

“That is why the Liberal Democrats are calling for a return to proper community policing, where officers are known and trusted by local people with the resources they need to help tackle crime."

A Labour spokesperson said it was "shocking" people were prevented from doing their jobs because of crime.

"After 14 years of the Conservatives, law and order has collapsed," they said.

"Labour’s plan to bring back neighbourhood policing with 13,000 neighbourhood officers and police community support officers will crack down on crime and keep our streets safe."

The Conservative party has been contacted for comment.