It’s the bane of tradespeople’s lives - tool theft

Many of you will have had your vans or lock-ups raided by callous thieves who have no thought for your livelihood or property. Many stolen tools are sold for a fraction of their value online or shipped overseas. Crime fighting organisation Van Watch has discovered that there is now a tool crime incident every 9 minutes, up from one every 23 minutes before the pandemic.

The total cost to tradespeople approaches £1million per day In stolen tools, damaged vehicles, and lost working time.

More than a third of victims of tool crime report a major impact on their mental health or emotional well-being. Now a new law in England and Wales will see the widespread deployment of technology aimed at making it harder for thieves to sell stolen tools and equipment.

But will it work?

The Equipment Theft (Prevention)

Bill has passed through the House of Commons and is expected to be signed into law by the King later this summer. Brainchild of Greg Smith MP, the bill requires certain security features for frequently stolen equipment. The Home Office is consulting on using the bill to make forensic marking of expensive power tools a universal requirement. Manufacturers and resellers of high value tools will need to ensure that their products are marked, registered, and traceable if stolen, making it harder for thieves to sell stolen tools, and helping re-unite them with their owners. Forensic marking also helps police with prosecutions and increases convictions. Speaking In the House of Commons, Greg Smith said “They are not stealing power tools to do some DIY at home. They are stealing that equipment to sell and monetise it and if they cannot do so because of forensic marking, they will not steal it in the first place.” Police Minister Chris Philps has apparently committed to ensuring there are enough police officers to enforce the new law - we shall see on that one!

Ray Stafford, founder of Van Watch, a cross industry, not-for-profit organisation which campaigns against tool crime, welcomed the initiative. “Disrupting the business model of tool crime is a critical step forward, and we welcome both Greg’s bill and the Police Minister’s commitment to provide police manpower to enforce it. We call upon Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to ensure that the Minister’s words are backed by action.

“We hope that individual tradespeople and the organisations representing them will respond to the consultation and make it clear that they Back the Bill.

“We also call upon tool manufacturers and resellers to engage constructively with the Home Office and play their part in bearing down on this crime that so plagues their customers.”

Organisations and individuals can take part in the consultation via https:// www.gov.uk/government/consultations/ equipment-theft-prevention-bill-call-forevidence

Powering Up Britain: Gov’t listens to some industry concerns, but continues to overlook skills

Leading electrotechnical and engineering services body ECA is calling for a detailed plan to fund the upskilling of Britain’s electrotechnical workforce, following the launch of the report, Powering Up Britain: Energy Security Plan.

The report sets out the steps the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero is taking to ensure the UK’s energy system is secure, low-cost, and low carbon. However, it contains little to no detail about how the country’s labour force will be trained to deliver low carbon installations and green infrastructure.

Meanwhile, ECA has praised the Government’s renewed commitment to electric vehicle charging, with a more than £380 million investment announced for public EV charging points and infrastructure across the country.

ECA has also welcomed plans to rebalance electricity bills using levies as an incentive to move away from gas. The association has long advocated for rebalanced levies to encourage long-term use of renewable energy and move away from fossil fuels.

ECA Energy & Emerging Technologies Advisor Luke Osborne said:

“The rebalancing of the electricity market is something we have been calling for, for years. So, we are pleased to see that our voice has been heard in this new report.

“We also support the commitment to EV charging, but without any funding for upskilling our workforce, this is a hollow pledge for now.

“We are falling behind on EV charging targets, despite the growing number of EVs on the road, and this trend is likely to continue unless we invest heavily in skilled, competent workers who can connect the dots and solve the net zero puzzle.

“I fear this report will do little to address the low public awareness of heat pumps and shortage of skilled installers. In many ways, we are still too far back in our Net Zero journey.”

The report includes a range of other measures to boost the UK’s clean energy security, including a three-year extension of the Boiler Upgrade Scheme, and overhaul of planning rules to speed up the construction of new wind turbines and solar panels, and support for carbon capture, home insulation and hydrogen projects.

The new President of ECA, the UK’s leading engineering services trade association, is business leader and electrical engineer, Sean Smyth.

Sean recently celebrated 50 years in the electrical industry, having begun his career as a JIB apprentice in 1973 and progressing to become CEO of WT Parker Group.

During Sean’s tenure as CEO, he grew the business from £27m to £80m turnover, developing a diverse business in niche markets and forming key client partnerships.

The business was acquired by Edwin James Group in 2017 and rebranded as EJ Parker Technical Services (Central) Ltd, with Sean remaining as a Director on the board.

Sean became an active member of the ECA in 1995.

Sean takes over the ECA Presidency from Steve Murray. During the last 12 months, Steve played a critical role in guiding ECA as it supported its Members through difficult