Williams Plumbing and Heating Supplies has teamed up with The National Business Crime Centre and SelectaDNA to take its fight against tool crime on the road.
Williams will be using eight of its Trade Counters to host a Tool Crime pop up station throughout September as part of its wider Tool Crime Roadshow campaign. On the day of each event, from 7.30am to 1.00pm, tradespeople will have the chance to get their tools marked and registered.
The merchant says that tool theft is still a “very prominent issue in the trade industry with a very low likelihood of the stolen tools being recovered and returned to their owners, let alone conviction of the perpetrator”. After the successful roll out of its tool crime initiative, Tool Angel, Williams says it remains dedicated to finding solutions to not only soften the devastating impact of tool crime but also deter theft from taking place.
“I would like to issue a rallying cry to my fellow CEOs throughout the trade supplies industry to help stamp out the curse of tool theft by promoting tool-marking campaigns to their customers. We are happy to share anything we have learned in our campaign if that would help.”
Williams Director Ray Stafford said: “Tool marking is a vital part of reducing tool crime. It deters thieves from targeting your van, it increases the chances of the police getting a conviction and if your tools are stolen, it much more likely that they will be returned to you in the future. We are very pleased to be working with the Police and SelectaDNA in this ground-breaking initiative which we hope will spread throughout the industry.
“I would like to issue a rallying cry to my fellow CEOs throughout the trade supplies industry to help stamp out the curse of tool theft by promoting tool-marking campaigns to their customers. We are happy to share anything we have learned in our campaign if that would help.”
Boasting a track record of reducing theft by up to 83%, SelectaDNA is described as a forensic marking system designed to reduce theft and burglaries by coding valuable possessions with unique synthetic DNA, and using warning labels to alert criminals that the property is protected.
James Brown, Managing Director of Selectamark Security Systems, said: “This is a fantastic collaboration between Police, retailer, and security solution provider. We have been extremely impressed with the National Business Crime Centre and Williams Trade Supplies in driving this campaign forward, and being so passionate in tackling tool theft head-on. This is a great example of a retailer caring about its customers, and being willing to go that extra mile to protect valuable tools and equipment from theft. SelectaDNA is really proud to be part of this campaign.”
The SelectaDNA liquid contains a UV tracer which enables the police to locate the clear mark on items of property with a UV torch. Each bottle contained within the Property Marking Kits contains hundreds of microscopic dots (microdots) which allow the police to identify the registered owner of marked items within minutes by viewing the unique code under a microscope.
If the police cannot locate a microdot, a unique DNA code can be forensically analysed to identify the property owner and link the criminal to the crime. Each SelectaDNA code and the owner’s contact details are registered on SelectaDNA’s police and insurance preferred insurance database, available online 24/7.
Roadshow dates
Crawley Trade Counter – 6th September
Crayford Trade Counter – 15th September
Fareham Trade Counter – 20th September
Basildon Trade Counter – 21st September
Worthing Trade Counter – 22nd September
Minworth Trade Counter – 27th September
Bristol Trade Counter – 28th September
Manchester Trade Counter – 29th September
