West Dorset’s MP Chris Loder has welcomed proposals to crack down on equipment theft in the UK. In a speech in the House of Commons, Mr Loder praised the new Private Members Bill, the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill which proposes new laws to break up the business model for those who steal machinery to sell second hand.
Mr Loder cited the high numbers of rural thefts that occurred in Dorset recently. In the past year, we have seen 253 incidents of rural crime – 5 per week. In 2020 alone, there were 23 reported thefts of high value farm machinery. These would class tractors, diggers and heavy machinery, not including most trade van break-ins. Machinery, tools and vehicles account for 43% of reported incidents. The local MP said in the House of Commons; “I am very pleased that these new measures will not just mitigate, but deter these crimes from taking place”
The measures serve to disrupt the business model of criminals selling stolen machinery through the second hand tools market by mandating that sellers of second hand machinery must provide “unique identifiers for their items in a searchable format”, meaning second hand machinery on the market is proven to be from a legitimate source.
Mr Loder said: “It’s tradesmen: carpenters, plumbers, roofers and farmers who depend on their tools and machinery for their livelihoods. Machinery theft stolen from vehicles alone doesn’t just cost the economy £46m a year, it’s the lost income, lost productivity and most importantly the mental health of those affected that I hope this Bill will crack down on”
