Construction Site Crime Stats: The Impact of Theft on the Building Industry

The construction industry is constantly fighting crime. Pre-pandemic, not a day would go by without a story of tools being stolen, diggers being pilfered and plant machinery disappearing in the dead of night.

Despite crime generally dropping during the COVID-19 pandemic, the construction industry has unfortunately bucked this trend.

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Construction Site Crime Stats: The Impact of Theft on the Building Industry

In this article, we cover a range of topics around building site theft and its impact.

Crime affects small and large businesses daily, livelihoods are at risk, project delays impact already tight margins and hammer profit.

Insurance claims take time. Time is money and is it really worth going through with the claim considering the timeframes they take to get sorted?

The growing impact of crime on the industry

The has been a reported a 50% surge in crime during 2020.

Why?

Supply chains are struggling while demand for materials remains high. Where usual avenues of opportunity for thieves dried up, building sites presented the perfect opportunity.

In a recent article by Construction Enquirer, Contractors and plant hirers are struggling to secure new kit.

The government has been pushing to get the market moving. However, with shortages in supply, extended delivery timeframes and a rise in crime, the industry is facing some challenging times.

How much does crime cost the construction industry?

According to the most recent survey conducted by Allianz Cornhill, crime cost the industry £800m in 2019.

That’s the overall cost.

In 2020 around £70m of construction plant machinery was stolen. This includes excavators, compressors and even cranes.

More than 33% of construction firms experience the impact of crime. And 90% of items are never recovered.

Examples of recent construction site crime

Thieves stole a digger worth £16,000 from a construction site near Arundel – Police are looking for witnesses after they took a yellow Volvo digger on 15th July. Littlehampton Gazette.

North of the border, there has been a dramatic rise in building and construction site theft – The Police are urging site owners to employ extra measures. Leader Live.

In Berkshire, Police have issued warnings to people to be vigilant after criminals stole a tradespersons tools from his van in Thatcham. The Reading Chronicle.

Builders were left unable to work after a JCB telehandler was stolen from their site in Nottinghamshire. Nottingham Post.

In Hampshire, thieves took tools worth £20,000 from a firm’s lockup. Criminals have now targeted the firm seven times. New Milton Advertiser.

In Wiltshire, criminals smashed through walls to steal a construction site worker’s tools. Swindon Advertiser.

What is being done to combat crime in the construction industry?

Earlier in 2021, police launched a specialist unit to specifically tackle the ongoing impact of construction site crime.

The new unit, the Agricultural and Construction Equipment (ACE) has a specific remit. Their job is tackling organised gangs targeting valuable construction and farm machinery and vehicles.

Construction site security – recommended systems

When considering site security, there are several options.

Below is a summary of each.

For a more detailed overview, you can read our construction site security guide.

Construction site CCTV

Self-monitored CCTV systems provide a level of visual deterrent to thieves. Furthermore, sharp footage can spot threats and convict criminals.

Remote CCTV monitoring

Building site security guards are expensive to any project. If you are looking to manage budgets effectively, and reduce the cost of security there is another option; CCTV monitoring.

For information you can read our blog:

What is CCTV monitoring and how does it work?

CCTV towers

The go-to system and installation for a building is a CCTV tower. When considering site surveillance, a CCTV tower gives you complete coverage. Furthermore, CCTV towers often integrate with generators or solar panels. This helps where environmental factors prohibit the use of noisy generators 24/7.

Perimeter security and protection

Coupled with an effective CCTV system, perimeter detection and protection systems help prevent criminals from gaining access to their site.

Sensors, beams and other detection methods help ensure perimeters remain secure.

Access control – door entry systems

Trackable site access systems can easily maintain a log of who and isn’t on site.

These systems operate via keyless entry, fingerprints, keypads, or key fobs.

Alarms and remote alarm monitoring

Alarms are always a solid choice to detect and deter criminals. Like CCTV monitoring, there is also alarm monitoring. If the system is triggered, your offsite security team will deal with the threat either via your keyholder or The Police.

Security guards

Onsite security guards provide a physical human presence. CCTV and alarms do not.

Guards can patrol the site and its perimeter looking for threats.

Interestingly, there is an ongoing conversation in the industry around the use of technology. More to the point, will tech replace humans in the security sector?

We wrote about this recently:

Will Remote CCTV Monitoring Eliminate the Need for Physical Guards?