noVANber petition: Tackling van and tool theft

How did the noVanber petition come about?

Van tool theft is an ever growing concern for tradespeople up and down the UK.  Thus,  a new social media campaign has been launched to help fight back: the noVanber petition, or simply #noVANber.

noVANber petition: Investigate what more can be done to tackle van theft and van tool theft.

The loss of a van and/or tools can have a severe impact on a tradesperson. Even if they are insured, sourcing replacements, organising van repairs and rebooking appointments means significant time out of work.  This can lead to the loss of livelihood.

The main aim of the # noVANber petition, running throughout November, is to generate the 100k petition signatures required to get the issue debated in parliament, and hopefully see that the punishment for committing the crime is increased.

The current punishment for someone found guilty of van tool theft sits at a lowly £60-£80 fine, which is nothing compared to the potential cost of replacing the tools and inability to work for the victims.

There have been many petitions in the past aiming to achieve the same outcome but have sadly never reached the 100k signatures required. This campaign has been launched by Peter Booth (@PBPlumber) to finally get the issue debated in parliament and hopefully see steps made in the fight against van crime.

noVANber petition Big Wipes stand PD show

The Message from PB Plumber re noVANber petition

Peter Booth announced the campaign with a video and said: “On the 1st November, I’m starting a campaign on social media called #noVANber to take a petition to government to get the courts to take this more seriously.  It’s not just criminal damage, they’re affecting our ability to work and our ability to earn a living.

“There are a lot of petitions out there but they don’t seem to be going anywhere. So on 1st November, join me, we’re going to all team together.  This is going to take all of us to get some notice and hopefully get something done.”

Supporting the noVANber petition

To get the 100k signatures required, signing the petition and sharing it around will help enormously. If you want to get involved on social media, then don’t forget to include #noVANber.

noVANber petition Big Wipes stand PD show

Van Tool Theft Statistics

Van tool theft isn’t a recent problem for tradespeople and there are some shocking statistics surrounding the crime:

  • In the UK, a van is broken into every 23 minutes
  • 50% of tradespeople have been a victim of van crime on more than one occasion
  • Average value of van theft now stands at £1,692
  • £94,521,600 was the total cost to tradespeople in 2016 (according to Trade Direct)
  • 50% of victims weren’t able to work the following day, costing at least £500 in earnings

 

These statistics show just how important the #noVANber campaign is and showing your support by signing the noVANber petition and spreading the word will help enormously.

An interesting resource on this topic is also provided by Hendy Car Store, follow the link here.

(Parts of this article first appeared in Holmes Media)