Neighbourhood Crime Unit, Home Office
Image from Technical Guide 2: Use of Tools in the Tree)
The government recognises the significant impact theft of equipment can have, which is why we are working closely with the police, industry and others to ensure we are collectively doing everything we can to drive down these thefts.
This is why the government supported the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Bill, a Private Member’s Bill tabled by Greg Smith MP, from the outset. The Bill received cross-party support in both Houses of Parliament and gained Royal Assent on 20 July 2023.
The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 seeks to prevent the theft of All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), such as quad bikes, by ensuring immobilisers, a visible marking and forensic marking are fitted as standard to all new ATVs, before vehicles are sold to customers. The Act also places a requirement for the seller to record details of the buyer on a database, for a defined period from the date of sale, assisting police with identifying and proving ownership of stolen quad bikes and ATVs once recovered.
Following the passage of the Bill through the House of Commons, there were calls from MPs and Peers for the scope of the Bill to be extended to cover agricultural machinery and a requirement for defined handheld power tools used by tradespeople to be forensically marked to help prevent theft and re-sale. Chris Philp, the Minister of State for Crime, Policing and Fire, committed to considering this at Commons Report stage, following a consultation period with stakeholders, including manufacturers, dealers, retailers, tradespeople and law enforcement practitioners.
A call for evidence was published on gov.uk, which ran for eight weeks and closed on 13 July 2023. The government is currently assessing all the responses before decisions will be made about what equipment and tools may be covered by the legislation. Although Royal Assent has been given, the Act will not commence until secondary legislation regulations are made.
Secondary legislation will define minimum standards for the immobilisers, forensic marking and the type of database which may be used and the details to be recorded. The proposed secondary legislation will be debated in both Houses of Parliament, subject to parliamentary timetabling.
The Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act will apply in England and Wales. This legislation will make it harder for criminals to steal and sell on stolen machinery, and is intended to have a deterrent effect. This will be a key change to drive down acquisitive crime and reduce the theft of agricultural machinery from rural areas.
We expect to see a real decrease in the theft of equipment because of the measures in this Act.
This article was taken from Issue 204 Spring 2024 of the ARB Magazine, which is available to view free to members by simply logging in to the website and viewing your profile area.