Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the (a) theft of and (b) selling of stolen tools.

Crime Survey for England and Wales data shows that neighbourhood crime is down 48% when comparing findings from the Crime Survey to year ending September 2023 with the year ending March 2010.

The Government is tackling acquisitive crime as a priority and is committed to reducing the ability for criminals to profit from crime, making it less attractive for offenders to commit thefts of goods, including tools. The theft of tools can have a significant impact on victims, particularly those who rely on their tools to earn a living.

The Government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023, which will require certain specified equipment to be marked and registered before it is sold to the first owner. The Home Office consulted on extending the legislation to include tradespeople's power tools to help prevent theft and assist police forces with identifying and proving ownership of stolen property. The Government's response to the consultation will be published shortly.

The Government is working with the police-led National Business Crime Centre (NBCC) and the Combined Industries Theft Solutions to explore ways to prevent the theft of tools from tradespeople's vans. The NBCC and Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (Secured By Design) have also published crime prevention guidance to help tradespeople prevent theft: https://nbcc.police.uk/crime-prevention/crime-prevention-guides and https://www.securedbydesign.com/guidance/crime-prevention-advice/vehicle-crime/vans-tool-theft.

We are also working with partners to make tradespeople's vans more secure. Following engagement with the Home Office and National Vehicle Crime Working Group, Thatcham Research has agreed to add to their New Vehicle Security Assessment (NVSA), locks and alarms on the back of vans (previously NVSA only covers the cab area of vans) and a motion sensor on the load area of the van.

In addition, through the National Vehicle Crime Working Group, a network of vehicle crime specialists has been established, involving every police force in England and Wales, to ensure forces can share information about emerging trends in vehicle crime and better tackle regional issues.