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Plant theft has been a growing problem in the construction industry over the last few years. With many building sites exposed and often unmanned at night the temptation for thieves to come and take equipment that can be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds is clearly a difficult one to resist. But the increased danger of threat has also raised awareness of what needs to be done to deter the crooks and also recover equipment. Plant users, hire companies, manufacturers, trade associations and, of course, the police have all been developing systems to help stem the tide.
The Plant Theft Action Group (PTAG) is an advisory group that works with all sections of the industry to develop ways of tackling the problem. At a meeting at the end of last month the group decided to launch a new identification scheme.
The scheme has come about as a result of several years work by PTAG, bringing all the affected groups, but although the decision to launch the scheme has been taken there is still work to be done finalising how it will work and be administered.
PTAG hopes that all plant will be registered by 2010, a sensible move as the 2012 Olympics will mean there is a notable increase in construction sites towards the end of this decade and the beginning of the next.
All the machines on site connected with the games will be registered on a central database and stickered with a registration number. This will mean police have 24 hour access to information on machines and anyone buying a machine will be able to quickly establish it isn’t stolen.
Poor Security
Research commissioned by the police in 1999 revealed that theft of plant was running at between £600million and £1billion a year. Over 24,000 items of mobile plant were stolen in 1997, and less than 10% of this was recovered. The value of the equipment stolen at that time was estimated at £66 and a quarter million, but this sum doesn’t include the loss of business, increased insurance premiums and the many other costs that arise when equipment is stolen.
According to the survey the majority of plant stolen was situated in urban sites, and was taken from building sites, depots or company parking areas, while 15% was stolen from the side of the road. Less than two thirds of plant users questioned had recorded the serial numbers on the equipment, hardly any had used an alarm or immobiliser and only 22% had used a padlock or chain to secure it.
The situations at the sites where theft had occurred was no better, a fifth had no security at all, and all though more than a third of the thefts were from fenced sites less than a quarter of those had lockable gates.
The average figures for equipment stolen really highlight the problem, Home Office Figures suggest that on average 86 excavators, 74 trailers, 17 dumpers, 13 telehandlers, 12 rollers and 5 tractors are amongst the haul of stolen gear each month.
So clearly the problem is a serious one, with few in the industry having escaped its effects, and over recent years various strategies have been developed to limit the risk.
Taking Care
The obvious starting point is when equipment is first bought. Many companies do not keep full enough record of what they have, making it difficult to track down if it is stolen, and easier to steal, because if no one is responsible for it perhaps no one will notice if it is gone. So when buying new gear get a full description of it from the seller, together with all serial numbers or other identifying markings, check they are right and keep a record of them. If the equipment is being hired, rather than bought make sure you get a hire agreement, which includes all the information on the plant and what to do if it is stolen. Any new equipment should be entered in a company plant asset register, and if it is subsequently got rid of this should be recorded too.
Another problem area is when equipment is sent from a central depot to various sites, obviously this can be a major problem if care isn’t taken to keep track closely on what is where. It is important that the driver has full intructions and a proper conveyance note, the equipment should be received and signed for by an specified individual. On site all equipment should have a person who is responsible for it. A full register should be kept of what equipment has been sent to what site, and updated whenever it is moved.
Storing plant properly is the biggest step that can be kept to keeping it safe, making sure it is fenced and locked in will help remove the temptation to steal it and it is better still if it can be removed to a proper central depot with a secure compound.
Some solutions
Whilst these common sense systematic ways of keeping tabs on plant can go a long way to reducing the problem, there are also a number of more sophisticated ways of foiling the crooks.
Identity systems use a 1mm laser etched dot that can carry a company name, telephone number and post code, making all property easily identifiable and speeding up recovery times if it gets stolen.
There are also several mechanical ways of preventing theft, all are essentially different forms of locks, for example: Breaker Lok which locks hydraulic buckets borers and other attachments to mini excavators or backhoe loaders: a Leg-lock locks the stabiliser leg with the wheel of the ground, so it cannot be moved;. Trackloc is a system designed to immobilise machines that run on tracks.
An increasingly common type of theft prevention system is the immobilisation system, which can lock up various parts of the plants equipment, either hydraulic, electrical or fuel, or sometimes a combination of these. Barford is now offering an engine immobiliser as an option on all its dumpers.
Other more space age systems use the Global Positioning System (GPS) to help track and locate equipment after it has been stolen. Like all technological solutions these systems are becoming cheaper all the time, and are offering a sensible way to protect even the less expensive items of plant equipment.
The ultimate deterrent is to make sure theft is not a profitable exercise, ensuring that thieves know they will get caught, which is why schemes like the one proposed by PTAG is a sure step towards changing the picture on plant theft permanently.
Useful Websites:
TER run an equipment register, more information on
www.ter-europe.org
The government has a site with useful advice on preventing construction site theft: www.crimereduction.gov.uk/site.htm
The Home Office is the government department responsible for crime prevention: www.homeoffice.gov.uk
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