![JCB 3CX Backhoe loader](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f5/JCB_3CX_backhoe_loader.JPG)
Construction equipment theft, is the
criminal act
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...
of
stealing or attempting to steal
construction equipment
Heavy equipment or heavy machinery refers to heavy-duty vehicles specially designed to execute construction tasks, most frequently involving earthwork operations or other large construction tasks. ''Heavy equipment'' usually comprises five e ...
, including all type of
heavy equipments. Construction equipment theft has been recognized as a significant problem in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and elsewhere in the world, including
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Australia,
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
, and
Japan.
Incidents
Construction equipment is believed to be targeted by thieves because it is often poorly secured, easily disguised and very expensive. Some construction equipment can cost as much as $150,000.
Backhoes can cost $45,000 to $55,000 (this and other figures in 2010 U.S. dollars);
skid steer loader
A skid loader, skid-steer loader, SSLs or skidsteer is a small, rigid-frame, engine-powered machine with lift arms that can attach to a wide variety of buckets and other labor-saving tools or attachments.
Skid-steer loaders are typically four-whee ...
s, $25,000 to $35,000;
generators, $25,000 to $150,000 (for trailer mounts);
forklifts, $12,000 to $50,000.
[Kelleger, Kathy]
"Construction equipment theft a 'low-risk' gamble"
, ''The Journal of Commerce'', July 18, 2007, retrieved September 25, 2009
Anti-theft measures taken for registered motor vehicles are often not used on construction equipment: open cabs of construction equipment can be easy for thieves to access; equipment often has "one key fits all"
ignition system
An ignition system generates a spark or heats an electrode to a high temperature to ignite a fuel-air mixture in spark ignition internal combustion engines, oil-fired and gas-fired boilers, rocket engines, etc. The widest application for spark i ...
s; construction equipment often does not have standardized
vehicle identification number
A vehicle identification number (VIN) (also called a chassis number or frame number) is a unique code, including a serial number, used by the automotive industry to identify individual motor vehicles, towed vehicles, motorcycles, scooters ...
s or
serial numbers, and when they do, thieves often remove the numbers; title and registration for the equipment are not mandated. Record keeping for construction equipment is often poor, making identification of recovered items difficult.
[ Large construction equipment is used to flatten a security fence before thieves leave a storage or construction site.
Thieves typically remove all identifying numbers before reselling the items, often to unsuspecting contractors. Other equipment may be stripped down to components for separate resale on the black market. Some items stolen in the United States and the United Kingdom][Pollok, Murray]
"Insurance company warns renters to be more vigilant"
article, ''International Rental News'', September 22, 2009, retrieved September 25, 2009 are sold overseas.[
Thefts can occur from construction sites, by thieves posing as customers of rental companies and from equipment storage areas. Stolen construction equipment is sometimes used to commit other crimes. For example, thieves have used construction equipment to move or destroy bank ATMs.][Diaz, Monik]
"Police catch suspects accused of removing ATM machine"
, ''WFAA TV, retrieved September 25, 2009
Scope of problem
According to UAE
The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...
-based Al Tayyeb Used Heavy Equip. & Machines Tr. L.L.C., more than 450 items of stolen construction equipment were reported to Japan Construction Equipment Manufacturers Association in 2008 in Japan alone.
In the United States, the National Insurance Crime Bureau
The National Insurance Crime Bureau (NICB) is a U.S. insurance industry trade association focused on preventing, detecting and defeating insurance fraud and vehicle theft through information analysis, investigations, training, legislative advo ...
estimated that by 2007 more than $1 billion in construction equipment was stolen each year.[
In the United Kingdom, according to the ''2009 Equipment Theft Report'', published by the National Plant & Equipment Register, the most commonly stolen items in that country in 2008 were ]trailers
Trailer may refer to: a
Transportation
* Trailer (vehicle), an unpowered vehicle pulled by a powered vehicle
** Bicycle trailer, a wheeled frame for hitching to a bicycle to tow cargo or passengers
** Full-trailer
** Semi-trailer
**Horse trail ...
(911 thefts), excavators
Excavators are heavy construction equipment consisting of a boom, dipper (or stick), bucket and cab on a rotating platform known as the "house". The house sits atop an undercarriage with tracks or wheels. They are a natural progression from ...
(849), site dumpers (244) and telehandler
A telescopic handler, also called a lull, telehandler, teleporter, reach forklift, or zoom boom, is a machine widely used in agriculture and industry. It is somewhat like a forklift but has a boom ( telescopic cylinder), making it more a c ...
s (202). The biggest increases in thefts were in agricultural tractors (up 149 percent), quad bikes (up 83 percent), forklift trucks (up 67 percent), and portable generators (up 55 percent). TER manager Tim Purbrick said organized criminals found construction theft very lucrative.[
]
Anti-theft measures
As of 1998, the Home Depot
The Home Depot, Inc., is an American multinational home improvement retail corporation that sells tools, construction products, appliances, and services, including fuel and transportation rentals. Home Depot is the largest home improvement r ...
chain of stores, which rent construction equipment, implemented two policies which dramatically reduced theft, according to the company: It stopped leaving equipment in trailers, ready for hauling away, and it used tire locks rather than chains to secure equipment in place. "When would-be thieves see that they have to load the equipment onto a trailer, which takes extra time, makes more noise and may draw attention to their actions, they decide it's not worth the trouble," Dan McAreavey, product manager for Home Depot Tool Rental for North America, told ''Rental Equipment Register'', a business publication.[Trunko, Michael]
"Anti-Theft Systems: Jaws of a Pit Bull"
''Rental Equipment Register'', February 1, 2002retrieved September 25, 2009
In the United Kingdom, the Construction Equipment Security And Registration (CESAR) and The National Plant & Equipment Register programs allow companies to register equipment to help recover stolen items.[
In 2008, a trend was identified in the United Kingdom in which criminals rented equipment for fake sites and then vanished once the equipment was delivered. "Early indications are that CESAR registered plant is up to six times more likely to be recovered than non-CESAR registered items", according to RSA (formerly Royal Sun Alliance), a British insurance company. RSA recommended that rental businesses be sure to identify those leasing equipment and either establish credit with customers or use credit or debit cards for payment.][
]
See also
*Theft
Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for som ...
* Motor vehicle theft
References
External links
National Equipment Register, Inc.
{{Construction overview, state=collapsed
Theft
theft
Theft is the act of taking another person's property or services without that person's permission or consent with the intent to deprive the rightful owner of it. The word ''theft'' is also used as a synonym or informal shorthand term for som ...