00:00Tool theft is a growing crisis. 64% of our customers are worried about the
00:08possibility of tool theft and 38% have actually experienced tool theft. When
00:14tool theft occurs the average impact is £2,500 and 77% are needing to
00:23replace tools at their personal savings. 12% actually can't physically work, can't
00:30afford to replace. Imagine that, you have bills to pay, you've got a family to feed
00:35and the theft of your tools means you literally can't go to work tomorrow. We
00:40worked with an artist called Ptolemy at Elkington and the sculpture is made from
00:47recycled tools and you'll notice that it's predominantly made from power tools
00:52which is the item that thieves most commonly target and we've had lots of
00:59people stop in to take a look and I hope you agree it's really striking and it
01:05demonstrates the emotion, the anguish, sculpture is called anguish but you know
01:10that pure anguish that people feel as a result of tool theft, the possibility of
01:19tool theft hanging over you, the impacts of tool theft when it happens and we think
01:25it's a great conversation starter.
01:27But tool theft is a massive problem isn't it? It's something that I come across on
01:30social media almost daily so I'm affected by it by hearing people's stories,
01:35understanding how many thousands and thousands of pounds people have lost just
01:40through someone thinking it's okay to open the van doors by force and take the
01:45contents. It's not happened to me. I am extremely diligent about where I leave the
01:52van and I make sure that there's nothing ever in the van. I'm either with the van
01:55and it's got tools in or the van's left and it's completely empty which takes a
01:59lot of time and a lot of effort but it's something that I make myself do every
02:03single day.
02:04It's the second reading of the Theft Against Tools for Trade Bill in
02:08Parliament and which is being driven by the MP Amanda Martin and really
02:14legislating for stricter punishments against those who perpetrate crime and
02:22recognition of the impact that tool theft actually has. We're complementing it with
02:28practical actions. Working with our partners, Turtex, to support free tool
02:33marketing for over 260,000 tools. I think the route that we all need to go
02:38down is to make thieving tools, stealing tools, completely socially unacceptable so
02:43that people are involved in it, the people that know them don't want to
02:46associate with them. Maybe that will go some way to stemming the problem. If we
02:51just make it a thing that nobody really does anymore because it's such an
02:55appalling action, nobody wants to be associated with anything then maybe people
02:59will think twice.
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