CPA Bulletin

www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > February 2023 21 PLANT THEFT PLANT THEFT: 1 2022 has been our busiest year of thefts since 2010, back when telehandler theft was rife. Contrary to popular expectations, thefts decrease in recessionary conditions. In 2008, there was a marked reduction from June 2008 onwards, so the significant rise in thefts (18.4% up from 2021, which was suppressed in 2021 due to COVID) is driven by the supply side shortages positively impacting used equipment prices. Compare this with 2008 when a great deal of businesses were sadly unwilling or unable to take up or continue with finance agreements and the used market was flooded with low cost equipment, reducing the demand for stolen machines. We expect these current circumstances to continue to drive theft well into 2023 and further depending if the looming recession hits and how hard. Unlike 2008, smaller machines are now those most at risk. We recovered £14m worth of plant in 2022, and a large proportion continued to be rollers, dumpers and excavators. Machine sizes tended to be 6T down to micros on average. Notably our ‘other’ equipment category saw a more diverse range of stolen items such as hydraulic attachments and even telehandlers are making an appearance again for the well-known brands. Fuel bowsers also featured heavily; we suspect this is driven by the double whammy of the red diesel ban and the substantial rise in fuel cost over the year. Whilst theft hotpots do vary month to month, the heatmap shows the usual dense urban areas continue to suffer from the most theft. We strongly encourage you to protect yourself against the continuing trend of ‘hire to steal’ frauds and machines operating in that area by considering all aspects of security. As you’d expect, we continue to recommend the use of specialist battery powered theft recovery tracking devices alongside conventional wired telematics, with which you can expect to enjoy north of 90% recovery rates. Peter Thompson Managing Director, CanTrack Global Email: peter.thompson@cantrack.com , Mob: 07748 112347 Improving Your Cyber Security Thefts in 2022 - A Round-up from CPA Member CanTrack Global During recent discussions with the police, the police have raised concerns about the quality of information provided to them by the plant owner’s customer, when the customer reports an item of plant as stolen during the hire period. When an item of plant has been stolen, the police - where applicable - would ask for the machine’s serial number, fleet number, and any other identifiable information found on the machine, so that in the event it is seen whilst being transported by criminals, the police have an even greater chance of identifying and recovering it. If this information is not provided to the customer, the chances of recovery may be reduced, particularly if it is not registered under the CESAR scheme or does not have any form of covert marking system in place. The police suggest, that where appropriate, owners may wish to provide this information, or can quickly provide this information to the customer, who can then pass it on to the police in a timely manner. The other suggestion from the police to plant owners is that where a ‘Digital Key’ is provided to secure the machine when it is left on site, is to refrain from using either the last four digits of the fleet number, and/or, not to use the last four digits of the machine’s serial number; and in particular, not leaving the key with the machine. Criminals have become proficient in identifying the key’s code due to the frequency that the plant owner is using the above numbers, and so criminals are quickly circumventing the plant’s security system, then removing it from site. If they key has to be left on site, then it should be left in a secure location/place, with a random 4-digit number being used. POLICE ADVICE