Excavators top list as plant theft rises

More than £36m-worth of plant equipment was stolen in the UK in 2004, up by £1.8m on the previous year, according to The National Plant & Equipment Register (TER) annual report.
Excavators - including minis and backhoe loaders - remain the most desirable item of machinery for thieves, accounting for 29% of the total number of thefts reported to TER.
Trailers (25%) and dumpers (6%) came in second and third respectively.
Based on 3,500 reported equipment thefts, TER said the South East is by far the most targeted area, due to its greater density of plant usage. The report said the top five areas for equipment theft are: Thames Valley; Greater London; Surrey; Essex; and Hampshire.
Recovery rates for stolen plant remain below 10%. TER said there are a number of reasons for this, including: delays in reporting thefts; lack of diligence by purchasers; and lack of police focus.
The company stressed that insurers and equipment owners should focus their efforts on better site security and equipment tagging in order to reduce theft.
Meanwhile, to help the police, TER has distributed its recently published Plant & Equipment Identification Guide to all UK constabularies.