Action points
GOVERNMENT
The Problems
- Plant and equipment crime is not a measurable Home Office target given to Chief Constables, which means that, despite known links to serious organised crime and terrorism, there is no incentive for Chief Officers to address this crime through investment in training or investigation.
- The penalties for equipment theft are not sufficient deterrent to criminals when balanced against the likely rewards from this crime.
- Smuggling stolen plant and equipment over the UK’s external borders is no obstacle for criminals
The Solutions
- Make plant theft and the recovery of stolen plant and equipment a measurable target for Chief Police officers, allowing HMIC to monitor a force’s achievement of the target
- Robustly seek to prosecute and convict those involved in equipment crime
- Improve ports checks on outbound freight so that stolen property can be halted at the dockside in the UK
POLICE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
The Problems
- Plant and equipment crime is generally National Intelligence Model Level 2 and Level 3 crime, which means equipment stolen in one police area will usually be moved to another force area or even overseas. There is little incentive for Chief Officers to become involved in investigating crimes which are both not a priority and which involve other police force clear-up rates
- There is little awareness of plant and equipment theft, or its links to serious and organised crime and terrorism, amongst the police and law enforcement community
- Plant and equipment identification is more complex than motor vehicle identification, so plant and equipment tends to be avoided by police officers because they have not been trained in equipment identification
- The Police National Computer (PNC), the police database of stolen plant and equipment, has a very low level of accuracy. Even where an officer is investigating a stolen item and has the correct equipment identification data, there is a low chance of matching this against police theft data
The Solutions
- Utilise TER’s 24/7 equipment identification information assistance
- Utilise TER’s Plant & Equipment Identification Guide
- Information and intelligence can be shared with TER, which uses the i2 intelligence collation software package
- TER cleanses equipment theft data prior to loading onto the Police National Computer (PNC)
- Do not issue crime reference numbers to parties reporting equipment theft until you have sufficient equipment identification data to make a full report to the PNC – see the Theft Registration Form on the TER website for the data required, or contact TER
- Utilise the TER Threat Awareness briefing available in PowerPoint on your force or agency intranet or via TER or from the Metropolitan Police SB. This will make you aware of theft issues and provide you with a number of Theft Indicators to assist you on operations, as well as a current threat profile
- When planning an operation against a target which has plant, officers can not only request intelligence assistance, but also have a TER Specialist Plant Investigator on site during the operation
OWNERS AND USERS
The Problems
- Those in the plant and equipment industry that know about plant and equipment criminals and crime are not prepared to share the information with law enforcement
- The equipment identity record keeping by plant owners is often inadequate which means that even where an item is correctly identified it cannot be matched against the company’s records
- There is little take up of after-theft recovery systems which are covert and robust enough to resist detection, neutralisation and destruction by criminals. There are not many such products available. This is despite insurers offering incentives for fitting such devices
- Owners and users do not look after plant and equipment. Rental process should be tightened to avoid fraud and theft. Site security is, in most cases, as effective as a wet paper bag
The Solutions
- Many people know who is stealing equipment from whom, when, where and how. They should share this information with TER, the police or Crimestoppers
- Make sure that you keep accurate fleet and site registers on the plant and equipment that you own and operate so that when you report equipment as stolen to the police you have the correct equipment identification data. Then it can be recorded correctly on the Police National Computer (PNC)
- In order to mitigate the risk of theft, and to take advantage of any incentives offered by insurers, owners should demand greater levels of security on new plant and equipment, as well as considering the fitting of relevant and cost-effective after-market security products. This should be especially relevant for the most stolen equipment types
- Utilise TER’s ‘Loss Prevention and Security Techniques and Hirers’ crime reduction document, which is a free download from TER’s website. It is an 18 page e-booklet packed with sensible crime reduction advice
- Know your client before you hire equipment to them. A typical criminal modus operandi is to pay the first round of hire charges, which gives you confidence in the new client, the criminal then hires more equipment, makes no further payment and disappears with the equipment leaving the plant hirer with false insurance details and no party to claim from
- Report plant and equipment thefts, and the theft of serial number plates, to TER as soon as you have reported them to the police. Ensure that when you do report equipment thefts you let us know the type, make, model, serial/chassis/VIN/PIN number, the engine number, fleet number, and registration/index plate, location and date of theft, crime reference number, insurance company and policy/claims number
- Train your staff to be aware of plant and equipment crime and to be aware of targeting of your sites by criminals
- Utilise TER’s ‘Police Stop Me’ high visibility decals on registered plant and equipment
- TER Check all used equipment purchases. Don’t buy stolen equipment, you won’t own it if you do
PURCHASERS AND SELLERS
The Problem
- There is no real culture of due diligence for theft amongst purchasers and sellers of equipment. There is little incentive for owners to be concerned if they do purchase stolen equipment because there are too few checks in the industry on the identity of equipment. There is currently around £200M of stolen equipment in the UK used equipment market
The Solution
- TER Check all used equipment purchase and auction sales
INSURANCE
The Problem
- Insurance companies generally only require their clients’ own valuation of an equipment fleet as the basis of their premium. They do not know what they are insuring, or if it is stolen, or even if they have already paid a claim on an item for which they are now providing insurance
The Solutions
- Insist, as a warranted policy condition, that clients’ equipment fleets are registered with TER. TER Registration is very low cost risk management and allows the client’s data to be:
- Checked against the £200M of stolen equipment registered, mainly by insurers, with TER
- Valued for the insurer by TER
- Seen by the insurer
- Made available to the police and law enforcement
- Insurers should, and do in many cases, offer incentives for security improvements taken by their clients. Premium or excess penalties could be imposed on clients that do not adopt recommended security improvements
- As arson is a significant fraud, ensure that fire claims are fully investigated to determine the cause, and register total write-offs with TER as for theft
- Ensure that thefts are reported promptly and accurately to TER by clients, claims departments and loss adjusters
MANUFACTURERS
The Problems
- The equipment does not have sufficiently robust or covert identification data to resist tampering, alteration and destruction
- Equipment is fitted with a universal key, has few deadlocks, few factory fitted immobilisers or tracking devices
The Solutions
- Stamp in the serial/chassis/VIN number in more than one place on the vehicle chassis
- Ditch the universal key and fit unique keys linked to an immobiliser, just like your car
- Register new and used equipment sales with TER
- Register theft data with TER
OTHER INDUSTRIES
FINANCE AND LEASING
- Check with TER prior to financing used plant and equipment. This can include a physical inspection of the asset to determine whether it exists, its true identity, its condition and value
- Register plant and equipment on finance with TER
- Use TER to inspect and verify plant and equipment status during a lease term
- Register thefts with TER, especially where the finance company has no insurance cover
HAULIERS
- Know what it is that you are carrying and for whom
- Check with TER if asked to move plant and equipment at short notice for an unknown client, for cash, with only a mobile phone for contact, from a site with no one on it, to an unusual site such as a port, motorway intersection, motorway services
The recovery rate for stolen plant and equipment is only 5%. Why? Because plant and equipment recovery is not a police priority, because insurers and banks to not check their client’s fleets before they insure and finance them, and because the equipment trade does not carry our TER Checks on equipment trades. For these reasons, and more, equipment remains an attractive target for criminals