The Trades United Van Rally drove the issue of tool theft to the heart of government to demand change. Professional Builder reports from a mass-protest of construction professionals.
“In the last fifteen years I’ve had close to £110,000 worth of tools and equipment stolen,” laments Edward Windsor of Urban Design & Build. “We’ve had our vans broken into six times, building sites we were working on robbed on three separate occasions, and we’ve lost a whole vehicle.” This is just one of many all-too familiar tales of vulnerable tradespeople falling victim to unscrupulous thieves, but Edward was sharing his experiences on a day when builders, plumbers and electricians came together to take a stand.
The participants of the Trades United Van Rally converged on Brent Cross before hundreds of vehicles descended in convoy on Parliament Square. Their aim was to make a very vocal and visible statement to our legislators and the message was quite simple – enough is enough.
“It’s the same perpetrators time and again and nothing is being done,” declares Shoaib Awan, the organiser of the demonstration. Like all of his follow protestors he is indignant, frustrated, and yet determined to expose how cruel a crime tool theft really is.
Shoaib is calling for tougher sentencing for a class of offence that is ruining livelihoods and businesses, together with greater regulation of markets and car boots sales. It is here that the ill-gotten gains of the offenders are invariably sold on, and Shoaib believes that they should be subject to substantial fines if stolen goods are found to be flagrantly available to buy.
“What is not fully appreciated is the knock-on effects of being deprived of your tools,” explains Peter Booth. “If they’ve done damage to your van that’s then off the road, and even if you are still mobile you can’t do the job anyway without the right equipment. We hear a lot of advice, such as make sure your removing tools at night, but you’re just not safe anywhere now. It can happen while your parked up outside a job, at a supermarket and countless other places. We’re living in constant fear of being deprived of the means to make a living.”
Shoaib Awan and Trades United are calling for meaningful action as a matter of urgency:
• Update The Theft Act 1968 Section 27 (3) a/b so that there are longer sentences for repeat offenders who have already been convicted of either theft or handling stolen goods
• Revise Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 to include heavy fines/penalties for establishments that allow the sale of stolen tools including – but not limited to – pawn shops, markets and car boot sales.
• Consider the crime of tool theft an aggravated offence.
• Increase funding for the police and introduce specialist personnel
Stop thief!
It is a perceived lack of action on the part of the police and insurers that is actually exacerbating the situation. When insurers will only pay out on the basis of the depreciated value of the tools, and the chances of recovery by law enforcement are vanishingly small, the victims stop reporting. When that happens the true scale of the issue sinks from view. This is an acquisitive crime and if thieves think that they can not only get away with it but make a tidy profit, that’s all the motive they need. At the same time, without a court appearance judges won’t hear impact reports before sentencing and are blind to the body blow it delivers to builders.
The sheer number of vans that made the journey from the north London shopping area to the seat of government is indicative of the scale of the problem. Moreover, at a time when small businesses are under significant pressures, the impact on mental health should not be underestimated.
The Trades United Van Rally certainly served its purposes of making tool theft visible. Their destination was a square looked down upon by the House of Commons, Big Ben and statues of some of our most distinguished parliamentarians. Ordinary hard-working tradies gridlocked the roads and its approaches, whilst sign written vans were turned into protest placards, and megaphones left the public in no doubt as to their cause. It wasn’t just tradespeople either because charities like Band of Builders and companies that included Big Wipes, CT1, Blip insurance and Brick Jackets joined in solidarity. It now requires our politicians to pick up the mantle.
Listen to the latest episode of the Professional Builder podcast, where we report from the Trades United Rally:
