What’s not to like, it’s a law and order bill that looks to prevent the theft and resale of equipment and tools used by “tradespeople, agricultural and other businesses for connected purposes.”

To vote against it would be like voting FOR crime.

It’s worth noting how the bill got this far. Despite all the angst and hollerin’ from the trade about tool theft in recent years, nothing’s really happened. Nobody really paid any attention - not the general public, or the politicians, or the police.

The Equipment Theft bill sprung into life because Tory MP, Greg Smith constituents in Buckingham, a lot of whom I imagine are farmers and/or landowners, moaned and bitched because their quad-bikes were being nicked all the time. 

(By all accounts quad bikes are really to steal - who knew.)

Not really because of anything that tradespeople did.

And this brings me to my point - why are so many tradespeople passive on the issue? Heck, the trades are so passive that according to some stats, anywhere between 25 and 75% of tradespeople don’t even insure their tools.

And we know the problem is huge. A report by Simply Business and On The Tools published last year estimated that four out of five tradespeople have been hit by tool thieves. 

Forty percent of tradespeople have been hit twice.

And these are probably conservative numbers. What about all those incidents of tool theft that don’t get reported either because the tradesperson isn’t insured or they are completely apathetic to the situation.

At the very least, we need to report tool theft incidents to the police. I can hear you now: ‘Why? They won’t do anything, it’s not like I will see my tools again!’ 

You’re quite right, your tools are probably long gone and your options are limited. 

But reporting the theft is perhaps one of the few proactive things you can do.

Those reports contribute to crime stats and spiking crime stats, generate publicity, which can spur action.

Imagine your crime report is a pebble, being added to a huge pile of stones. But maybe your crime report is the one that turns the pile into an avalanche.

What have you got to lose?

Listen to The Clive Holland Show podcast below.