Across England and Wales in 2022, there were over 40,000 cases of tool theft, according to LBC analysis.
This accounts for at least 110 tools stolen a day, according to figures from 25 of the 45 territorial police forces in the UK.
On The Tools has previously reported that four in five tradespeople have experienced tool theft. This predominantly affecting self-employed tradespeople having key items stolen from their vans, garages and even homes.
The scale of the crime particularly affects London, with nearly half all cases recorded in the Capital. Elsewhere, Essex, West Yorkshire, the West Midlands and Gwent also reported extremely high cases last year.
With estimates from On The Tools estimating that tool theft costs the average tradesperson £4,470.50 in equipment, LBC’s analysis shows that tradespeople are potentially losing over £100m in tools during a cost of living crisis.
Andy Trotter, the former deputy assistant commissioner at the Metropolitan Police, said: “The impact is enormous, particularly when people are going through a very tough time economically. It is a huge problem for the police to deal with. It’s a symptom of remarkably low detection rates across the board, the police have been denuded resources”