Ultimate ‘How To’ Guide For Anti Plant Hire Theft

Published on: 24th October 2017

The Middle East’s construction market is set to grow at a faster pace than any other region in the world this year.

That’s obvious, you may say.  What’s the big deal?

Well not just the Middle East but also the European construction markets are full of lucrative contracts, good profits and opportunities for small and big businesses to grow.  Like it or not, it’s an opportunity for the criminals in the black market to take advantage of a booming market (read more about that here).  The plant hire machinery theft market has skyrocketed over the last 20 years.

So how much does the construction industry lose every year?  How can we prevent it?

Let’s number crunch through some figures:

• £70 million worth of plant and machinery is stolen from operators each year in UK.
• Amounts to £800 million per annum lost in the construction industry including every other cost
• 92% of all UK Construction and hire companies have been a victim of theft.
• Only 10% of stolen machinery is recovered.

That means you have over 40% less chance of getting your machinery back than if your car was stolen.  But we aren’t so lucky with plant and access machinery recovery.  Formed in 2008, the PANIU work tirelessly but have little resource to carry out effective levels of policing.

GUIDE TO ANTI-PLANT HIRE THEFT

Stop your company becoming a victim by the following:

Check Stolen Records

When buying second hand machinery, make sure you check all the records for stolen machinery.  That way, if you do find out that it is stolen you can alert the appropriate authorities but also, you don’t lose out if you buy machinery and then it is recovered to its rightful owner.

Check Newly Established Companies

A lot of bogus buyer’s setup different companies so they cannot become identified.  A common anti plant hire theft tip is to always thoroughly check newly established companies, companies with no previous trading history, credit history, size of previous credit purchases and get references.

Beware of Unusual Requests

Even though you may have dealt with a company for many years, make sure you track what areas they have used your equipment.  Fraudsters can also impose as a company you deal with, but may be getting your equipment delivered to an unusual place.  If this is the case, make sure you contact the company and double check that they are aware of the request to hire the equipment.

Check Identification

Always keep a record of the person hiring and make sure you check the identification of the person who is hiring AND receiving the plant, this is an absolute must to avoid plant hire theft.

Be Cautious of Suspicious Sites

Ask your drivers to be cautious of sites where there is little evidence of work being done.  It may be a good idea to regularly check the sites to make sure your equipment is being used correctly and is still be used on the site.

Network With Local Companies

Share evidence of theft and make your local competitors aware of fraudsters who have approached your company  and alert the local authorities.  A strong network carrying out anti plant hire theft tactics will only strengthen the market you supply, which in turn you and your customer can benefit from.

Fit Tracking Equipment

In the unfortunate event that your equipment is stolen, if you have quality tracking equipment fitted to your equipment you may be lucky enough to recover it whilst the thieves are making a getaway.  It is important that you NEVER tell your customers or any other parties that your equipment is tracked, as thieves do look for this and damage your equipment if they find it.

Register CESAR

Make sure you register all your equipment with CESAR which provides security marking and a police registration document.  This means that you have a higher chance of retrieving stolen machinery with the help of professionals.

It’s important to remember that even though you may put all the above suggestions into practice, it will only significantly reduce the likelihood of your machinery.  Your machinery is not impossible to steal to the very cunning and persistent criminals, but it always pays to be very vigilant.