Traders' tools stolen every 20 minutes in UK

Traders' tools worth thousands of pounds were stolen somewhere in the UK every 20 minutes last year, figures show.

At least 26,164 tool thefts were recorded in 2025, based on responses from 30 police forces who shared data. The true figure is likely to be higher as a further 15 forces could not respond.

Gangs and "chancers" are behind the crimes, according to Labour MP Amanda Martin, who is calling for her government to do more to help.

The Home Office said it was "working with the police to tackle and prevent tool theft to protect more hardworking tradespeople", including increasing neighbourhood policing, investing in police and working with industry and AI to tackle the sale of stolen goods.

Lulzim Pjetri owns Alliance Refrigeration Group, a commercial refrigeration business in Aston, Birmingham, from which tools were stolen six times in a year.

On one occasion, thieves broke into a parked van while two staff sat in its cab eating their lunch.

Those responsible were not wearing masks, held up crowbars and told the workers it was not worth them trying to stop it, Pjetri said.

Pjetri said: "Unless they choke the second-hand tool market, this problem will always be there."

"I'm concerned for my guys' safety," said Pjetri, who employs seven people.

"It is our living. It is the emotional trauma that you get from it. It's happening again and again and again and no one out there can see this."

Replacing the tools stolen from each van can cost Pjetri up to £7,000, with a further £4000-£5000 for repairs, and that is before counting the cost of missed work while the vans are off the road - sometimes for weeks at a time.

"You've got to remember these vehicles are supporting the hardest working class of the UK," said Pjetri, who is also known as Mike.

The average value of an insurance claim for tool theft in 2025 was £4,206.60, according to insurers Direct Line for Business.

The biggest cost from multiple tool theft incidents faced by Kerry Field, owner of Change It Homes based in Norton Lindsey, Warwickshire, was £10,000 worth of tools and motorbikes stolen in a break-in.

The BBC has seen CCTV footage showing the thieves making offensive gestures directly at the cameras during the crime.

Field spent a further £10,000 improving security, including new electric gates, cameras and taking on a rescue dog to help keep his headquarters safe.

His staff found one of their stolen saws advertised for sale online, but Field was advised to go to collect it himself when he reported it to police.

The force later apologised and told him the member of staff should not have suggested this, Field said.

"I think it's definitely got worse," he said. "I think a lot of it isn't notified to the police because people know it's not going to make any difference; they're not going to get any tools back.

"It's always been classed as very low level. If you take away someone's livelihood, it has an impact on the whole of society."

He added the lack of consequences for thieves or action by police did not instil confidence, but he understood forces were overstretched.

Warwickshire Police said it took all reports of tool theft "very seriously", but a suspect could not be identified in this case.

A spokesperson added: "Following concerns raised by the victim, the case was re-opened and thoroughly reviewed. No further lines of enquiry were identified."

The Home Office said it had boosted neighbourhood policing, with more than 3,800 additional neighbourhood officers in roles, and was investing "a historic £18.5bn in police force funding".

Martin - whose father was a plumber - has campaigned for tougher sentencing for tool thefts.

"We, as a government, have to do more," said the MP for Portsmouth North.

She said better regulation of the secondhand market was needed, including for pawnbrokers and well-known online retailers and auctioneers.

"It's making sure if you're selling some tools, you've got to have proof that you've owned it," she said.

Businesses with physical stores often require anyone selling goods to provide ID and for transactions to be recorded on CCTV, with other measures including signed undertakings to confirm they can legally sell an item and staff making checks for missing, removed or obscured serial numbers.

Online retailers have published terms and conditions saying they do not accept stolen goods and encourage users to report suspicions if they believe items listed for sale are stolen.

The Home Office said it continued to work with police, industry bodies and online sites to look at the issue of unregulated tool sales and what more could be done.

A common complaint among traders at a conference organised by Fix Radio in Birmingham last week was that when they made insurance claims for stolen tools, the amount repaid would not cover buying new replacements or the business missed out on while waiting for repairs.

Gareth Powley, a senior technical underwriter at Aviva and Direct Line for Business insurance, said it had a "new for old" basis policy.

He said: "The worst thing you want when you have to claim is to be trying to find secondhand tools or to have that shortfall. It's really important to look at the underlying cover you're buying.

"Maybe a cheap policy isn't as good as one providing more full cover."

Businesses can also add a liquid DNA watermark to their tools - which is not clear to the naked eye but glows brightly under UV light - to help trace them and prove their ownership if they are stolen.

Sgt Dave Catlow from the National Business Crime Centre is overseeing a clampdown on tool theft and said organised crime groups were responsible for a large proportion.

Stolen tools were being moved around the UK for resale, as well as abroad, he said.

A five-strong rural gang was jailed last month after a Lincolnshire Police investigation revealed the men frequently used older 4x4 vehicles fitted with cloned registration plates and typically travelled at night, wearing gloves, heavy clothing and face coverings in a bid to conceal their identities.

The Metropolitan Police has now begun to issue notices to car boot sale organisers, warning they could face criminal liability if they knowingly facilitate or ignore the sale of stolen, counterfeit and illicit goods. The warnings are made under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002.

Catlow believes this has led to a reduction in stalls selling tools at car boot sales that police have since revisited.

His role is to make sure best practice is shared across different police forces to avoid "displacement" - when one force has success driving down one type of crime locally but culprits move elsewhere.

Bonzer Car Boot Sale in Romford, east London, was visited by The Met earlier this month as part of its operations to deter the resale of stolen tools.

Sniffer dog Kaiser, a two-year-old Alsatian rescue from the company SelectaDNA, joined officers for the operation. He is trained to detect forensic marking or liquid DNA on tools.

The owner of the land where Bonzer Car Boot Sale is held, who did not wish to be named, said: "We don't want to be on the wrong side of the law.

"We don't want individuals who have their power tools stolen not being able to go to work on top of losing the value of those power tools, so we will do whatever we need, whatever we're advised to do, to cut that out."

Additional reporting: Phil Mackie

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