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Plumber Rob Brown was asleep at home when thieves broke into his ute. “I parked my ute out the front on a Friday. When I woke up on Saturday, the side tray was open on the toolbox and all my power tools were gone,” says Rob, who works for Scott Plumbing Services in the lower Blue Mountains, NSW. “It was probably only 20 metres away from the front door and I didn’t hear a thing."
Rob was a third-year apprentice at the time and had almost his entire tool collection wiped out. “It was about $9,000 in total,” he says. “They left my hand tools and just took the power tools – they knew what they were doing"."
Before this happened, Rob hadn’t been worried about theft. “The tools were locked and in a safe area and I thought, ‘No-one is going to take my tools’ – but they did,” he says. “I felt shocked and angry and a bit scared that someone could steal from my house.”
Crime statistics around Australia show that Rob’s story isn’t uncommon. In 2023, there were 13,053 reports of stolen tools in NSW, while in Victoria, the cost of stolen power tools alone added up to more than $7 million.
All tools can be targeted and are appealing to thieves, but tools that are easy to access and left in plain sight are typically the most appealing,” an ACT Policing spokesperson says, where 2053 tools were reported stolen in 2023.
Obviously, making sure your tools are well secured is step one. But what else can you do to protect your valuable work possessions?
Here are some other ways to make sure you don’t become a victim, too.
It’s common for thieves to use online selling platforms to attempt to sell stolen items,” says an ACT Policing spokesperson. “One way to make this more difficult is for the tools to have a unique identifier engraved onto them, such as initials, a phone number and driver’s licence number. It also makes it much easier for police to track down the owners of tools if they are recovered.” Another way to mark your tools is with a UV pen – police use a UV light to scan all stolen goods for marks like these. Rob uses a more old-school method: “I write my name on my tools in permanent marker, so everyone knows they’re mine.”
Security check: If you feel confident enough to engrave your own tools, pick up an engraver from Bunnings. Alternatively, take your tools to a professional engraver or buy a UV pen – look for an oil-based permanent marker that writes on shiny surfaces.
Having sturdy tool boxes that are fixed to your vehicle is a good start in deterring thieves. “Heavy-duty tool boxes with strong hinges and solid padlocks on the lids will act as a deterrent for thieves,” ACT Police suggest. Rob has now replaced all the locks on his toolboxes. “I bought two new locks with covers on them so you can’t really break into it unless you drill it out and take the locks,” he says. “I’d tell all tradies to pay the extra money to get your toolbox fitted out with the correct locks.”
Security check: Do an audit on your toolbox security ASAP. For your ute, look for a toolbox you can attach securely to the tray. Get additional padlocks for extra security or do what Rob did and replace your locks altogether. Lock up large power tools that don’t fit in your toolbox with chains and padlocks.
This is a modern fix to the age-old problem: consider dropping a GPS tracker such as an Apple AirTag in your toolbox or attaching it to your larger power tools. “There are a number of GPS trackers that can be linked to a smartphone app, which can increase your chances of your stolen tools being recovered,” says an ACT Policing spokesperson. This comes with a warning though: never approach thieves yourself. Call the police immediately.
Security check: Do your research; GPS trackers range in price and function – they need to have real-time tracking, long battery life and a wide geographic range.
Security cameras are higher tech than ever. “We have security cameras on all of our building sites, and they have AI detection,” says Adam Souter, owner of SouterBuilt in NSW. “If there’s any movement, the AI technology kicks in and calls me, the security company, and the police.” While Adam hasn't caught any thieves yet, he says there have been some incidents that have triggered the system. “The camera has an alarm on it so whether or not someone ran, we don’t know,” he says. “But it was peace of mind – we know that it works.”
Security check: If you have to park your ute outside your house, consider getting security cameras for your home as well as your job site. Check out Bunnings’ wide range of security cameras and think about security lights with sensors, as well.
Tools account for 15 per cent of items stolen in household break-ins, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and are the second most common type of property stolen. Having insurance means you won’t have to foot the replacement cost, which can be thousands of dollars. “My tools got taken out of a work vehicle, so I went through my boss’s insurance,” Rob says. “It took seven months to get the money back, but I got the equivalent to their value, so it was worth doing.”
Security check: Look at getting insurance cover for theft, loss and damage – that way you can be covered when you break a tool on a job site as well as for theft.
High value items such as power tools go missing the most in NSW. Here are the top 15 tools that were pinched in the state in 2023.
1. Power drill: 2157
2. Power saw: 1203
3. Angle grinder: 1091
4. Tool box: 873
5. Power chainsaw: 629
6. Socket set: 449
7. Nail gun: 417
8. Screwdriver: 249
9. Hammer: 245
10. Spanner: 234
11. Laser level: 226
12. Hand drill: 202
13. Sander: 164
14. Jackhammer: 130
15. Pliers: 127