Plant theft may be funding terrorists

OPERC warns industry to beware of 'sinister organised groups'.

The founder of the Off-highway Plant and Equipment Research Centre (OPERC) has issued a stark warning to the construction industry that it could be unwittingly aiding terrorists if it ignores the issue of plant theft.

The warning coincides with the release of a new guide from the organisation that aims to educate the public about the how to secure plant and how to avoid buying stolen machinery.

OPERC founder Dr David Edwards said it was reasonable to assume that although plant theft was generally perpetrated by opportunists, "sinister organised groups" were also using the crime to fund their activities.

He called for greater awareness of the problem in the plant industry, as well as the construction industry in general. Edwards said he hoped that OPERC's new guide would provide practical, everyday advice on the issue to managers.

Dr Edwards said: "If you've got a terrorist cell and want to raise capital, a car is difficult to steal. Stealing a 20t excavator really isn't that difficult." He also pointed out that in addition to the ease with which plant can be stolen, it was easy to transport abroad untraced, and offered far greater potential rewards than car theft, with excavators fetching up to £100,000.

He said: "The world has changed a lot in the last couple of years, so we have to adapt as a society and as an industry."

Dr Edwards also highlighted the risks involved in buying second-hand plant and warned of the consequences of not questioning a machine's origin. "If someone offers you something that is too good to be true, it probably is. You have to think that in buying this, you may be funding terrorist activity."

Plant and Equipment Theft: A Practical Guide will be free to OPERC members. It will cost around £30 for non-members.

[Contract Journal, 30 August 2006, p 12]