Why are tools stolen?

[lake]

Well a rant! lol

Why are tools stolen?

Oh yes so that imbeciles can sell them to those who do not give a stuff about the man who NEEDS them to earn for his family.

WHY with the current tech is this still allowed?

Oh yes so that companies can sell more tools!

It is a simple problem to solve and the first firm which does incorporate it will dominate the market.

Stick a bloody RFID 'rice' chip into every power tool....incorporated with a 200m BLE chip....which also functions as part of the 'tool'!

As long as it 'pings' to any network....then it can always be found and if it is removed then the tool nolonger works.

End of story....no more theft of power tools.

Simple and cheap to do.

As to the networks....this would work on 2G never mind 5G (although 4G would be better) and the 'networks' could be told to allow it (VERY limited required transmission width)

Fully tracked with all your current 'smart' phones.

Tool moves out of your preset range.....your phone alerts you.......AND it is constantly tracked.

You can't steal any tool without being 'nicked'!
You cant buy a stolen tool without being 'nicked'.

End of bloody problem.

Cost wise....about £3 per tool.

Anyone see any issue with that?

[Someone-Else]

Anyone see any issue with that?

Yes.

It sounds a nice idea, but have you actually looked into it? I mean really looked into it? I am sorry to say but I don't think it will work as you would hope "and it is for that reason I am out"

[lake]

Anyone see any issue with that?

Yes.

It sounds a nice idea, but have you actually looked into it? I mean really looked into it? I am sorry to say but I don't think it will work as you would hope "and it is for that reason I am out"

Yes I have mate and if I had the dosh....I would do it.

I would create a line of tools which had this incorporated and COULDN'T be stolen without the thief being nicked or the buyer being nicked.

Again.... I have researched it and the only reason I can see, as to why it is not already done is that firms like tools being stolen so that they sell more tool!

You also have the current market of non chipped tools!
Consider that! Huge market and all you would need to do is incorporate the tech into the 'trigger'.


If I had the funding (and the interest) I would do it.

[Rorschach]

If there was demand for it then you would have the funding. In fact if there was the demand for it then it would already be happening.

[lake]

If there was demand for it then you would have the funding. In fact if there was the demand for it then it would already be happening.

There is a NEED for it. You cant have a 'demand' unless the concept is known.

And no it is not already happening as there is not any tool manufacturer who isn't happy about tools being stolen!

Chip a tool and it would be with the tradesman for years....no more resales

[ayjay]

Metabo have some sort of system that (I think) stops the tools working if they're stolen. I can't remember any of the detail, but they have something.

[Bob225]

Its down to cost and the big companies will not standardise a system also plod don't care about theft as its too much paperwork and it spoils there targets - Why do the the scum steal tools ? - high value, easy to carry, conceal and easy cash


yes, I had a parcel stolen recently, the police wouldn't even register it as a crime - lucky for me I got them on camera and I caught up with them and they dumped it in a shop

[steviejoiner74]

Hilti have this in some tools and dewalt are also going to roll out technology to track stolen tools.

[kellys_eye]

If you could develop this as an after-market fitting (for the DIYer) then I'm sure you'd get some business but the cost may be more than that of insuring the stuff in the first place and there's not many people with the skills to fit the bits.

As for the manufacturers - it's all about the bottom line. Anything that creates additional expense will be frowned upon - the actual incidence of theft isn't as great as you'd imagine when you consider just how many such tools are out there. What are the actual figures? Did you look it up? Is it a significant percentage of sales?

Someone who purchases stolen tools - will they be likely to test them before buying?

I see the point behind your idea but simply etching, scribing, burning your name/postcode visibly onto the body of the tool may be all it takes to stop casual theft.

[Grendel]

I don't know the actual percentage figures of tools stolen or for that matter what figures would constitute acceptable or an epidemic although zero would sound right for the former . After a theft I did join a Facebook group centring on van and tool theft and to be honest it did make the site quite depressing to look at , post after post after post of tools stolen , vans broken into , vans stolen and also pictures of car boot sales with stalls of second hand tools many of which are clearly marked or engraved and unfortunately very few posts about arrests being made or tools recovered .
Cynical head on I don't see the impetus to stop crime from anyone other than the victims. Crime means manufactures sell more tools ( so does built in obsolescence but that's another story) , insurers sell more insurances at higher prices then there's a myriad of lawyers , solicitors , loss adjusters , security experts and so on all making a living because of crime and the government don't seem to care either with their police cutbacks .
So yes I agree with the original post but very much doubt more than a very limited effort will ever be made if at all.
One thing I have done and do when I get a new tool is to ditch the big shiny box it comes in. When I say ditch I mean it goes on eBay but either way I don't carry tools in boxes with dewalt or makita or whatever emblazoned on the side like a big "steal me" sign. I make rough looking boxes out of shuttering ply with a bit of sash cord for a handle .

[Nos]

It not just tools, I had a caravan stolen top of the range, police not bothered, insurance payed out and I bought another one, not in the manufacturer's best interest to make goods that last, and / or difficult to steal, they sell more that way. When a toe rag steals from a house they will go back after about 2/3 months, they assume you were insured and by that time you will have replaced the lost items, just ready for them to collect them again, I know what I would like to do to them, the same they do in the east, off with their hand Nos

[kellys_eye]

The only thing we can all agree on is that the punishment for such crimes isn't effective. In the Wild West horse thieves were hanged - rightly so as the loss of a horse out there could be a life or death situation. Comparably, the loss of tools/vans could be the loss of income or even work and the legal system doesn't seem to care for the victim.

I've always advocated a sentence doubling approach - each visit in front of the beak should mean an automatic doubling of any previous punishment so a month inside turns to two months, then four months, 8, 16, 32 etc. This means the criminal KNOWS that continued theft has ever-increasing consequences and if that isn't a deterrent I don't know what would work! Back to hanging?

[Rorschach]

Hanging never worked, punishment doesn't work in general.

[adonis]

Hanging never worked, punishment doesn't work in general.

Bring in chain gangs, at least the roads would be repaired and the country tidied up.

[ayjay]

Hanging never worked,

.........but there are no re-offenders.



I'm not in favour of Capital Punishment, as the Police and the justice system can't be trusted not to make mistakes.