Logistics UK supports call for evidence on Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill, but urges wider scope

The government introduced the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill to parliament in 2022 to tackle the theft of machinery and equipment used by the agricultural sector. In response to a government consultation on its bill, held during its passage through Parliament, Logistics UK called for the bill to be extended to include vans involved in all commercial activities.  

In addition to this, Logistics businesses recently met with Department for Transport officials and, separately, in Parliament, to discuss the issue of freight crime.

The National Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service (NaVCIS), a national Police unit, presented data at these meetings on the types, prevalence and locations of this crime, with businesses sharing their experience too. These discussions included calls for ‘freight crime’ to be made a specific offence, so that improved data is recorded and police forces are better incentivised to track and tackle it.     

Commenting on the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill, Denise Beedell, Senior Policy Manager at Logistics UK said: “We support the aims of the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill to prevent the theft of machinery and equipment used by the agricultural sector, in particular quad bikes and all-terrain vehicles (ATVs).   

“However, we also call for the scope of the bill to be widened to include vans involved in all commercial activities.  

“Our Van Security Report 2020 showed that, on average, organisations said they had items stolen from their vans four times in the previous 12 months, costing around £4,250 in total,” Beedell continues.   

“The report also found that two-thirds of reported van content thefts included tools and more than half involved equipment, meaning businesses are typically expected to resource and replace tools and equipment due to theft once every three months.  

“Additionally, almost 70% of survey respondents incurred financial costs and 58% productivity loss.   

“The impacts of the crimes were seen to have a significant effect on drivers as well, with more than 60% of respondents saying that vehicle content theft negatively impacted the driver.  

“We want to see more robust vehicle security features developed for new vans to address the types of crime experienced by commercial vehicle operators.  

“We are also calling for social media platforms to remove all instructional content for committing vehicle-related crime, especially in respect of commercial vans.”  

Published On: 27/07/2023 15:00:00

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