MARKETS ‘INSTITUTIONALLY INDIFFERENT’ TO EQUIPMENT THEFT

ACCORDING TO NEW REPORT BY TER


In their comprehensive 2008 Equipment Theft Report, The National Plant & Equipment Register (TER) says that all parties involved with construction, demolition, quarrying and agricultural equipment are ‘institutionally indifferent’ to the theft of equipment, which runs at more than £1M/week (source: Home Office) in the UK alone.

 

“It cannot be right that highly valuable machines like excavators and telescopic handlers can be started by a universal key and have no immobiliser, that most places where equipment is used have the security of a wet paper bag, that auctions, dealers and banks don’t check to see if they are trading in stolen equipment, and that insurers have no idea what equipment they are insuring,” said Tim Purbrick, Manager of TER.  “At present there is a Vicious Circle of reasons why this institutional indifference continues and in this year’s report we recommend how to turn it from a Vicious into a Virtuous Circle.”

 

TER also produced a dramatic chart (click on chart on right) comparing the ways that different markets deal with cars to plant and equipment.

 

The report reveals that:

 

  • Equipment theft in the UK rose by 2% in 2007 to 3,630 higher value equipment thefts

 

  • The value of equipment stolen in 2007 rose by 11% to £36.6M

 

  • The average value of each theft in 2007 was £10,100

 

  • Excavators were the highest theft value category at £12.1M or 33% of all UK equipment theft by value

 

  • Excavator theft rose 20% in 2007 to 740 machines.  Thames Valley had the highest level of excavator theft

 

  • Telescopic handlers had the highest annual increase in theft rising 76% to 184 machines or 5% of all UK equipment theft.  Thames Valley had the highest level of equipment theft

 

  • The south east of the UK remains the worst area for equipment theft headed by Thames Valley, Kent, Surrey, London and Hampshire

 

  • The highest value theft in 2007 was a £140,000 Extec C10 crusher stolen from Essex on 6th January 2007

 

  • Equipment crime is committed by opportunists, serious organised criminals, some of whom have links to terrorism, and fraudsters

 

  • Equipment criminals use a range of techniques to change the identities of stolen equipment before they sell it on, in the same way that car thieves ‘clone’ stolen vehicles, in order to dupe purchasers, dealers and auctions

 

  • Used equipment is much in demand globally so in addition to circulating in the UK stolen equipment is also exported to countries such as France, Holland, Poland, Lithuania, Cyprus, Israel and Australia

 

  • Only 5% of stolen equipment is ever recovered.  10% of TER’s stolen equipment recoveries in 2007 were made overseas in Cyprus, Lithuania, France and Holland

 

  • More than 600,000 owned items of equipment are registered with TER with a value in excess of £3BN

 

  • More than 55,000 equipment thefts have been registered with TER with a value in excess of £250M.