Over 25,525 tool thefts were reported to police last year, equating to 70 per day. The total value of tools stolen is estimated to be £40 million.

Over the past year, tradespeople have advocated for restrictions on the sale of second-hand tools and tougher sentencing for tool thieves.

Their efforts may have served as the catalyst for tool theft decreasing by 18% in 2024 – a significant reduction after at least four years of increasing numbers since Direct Line first began reporting tool theft figures in 2020.

Tool thefts from a vehicle specifically totalled 12,414 in 2024, accounting for almost half (49%) of thefts.

This comes despite 97% of tradespeople taking additional precautions to secure their tools, in efforts to reduce the £16 million worth of business that trades collectively lost as a result of tool theft in 2024.

Accounting for population, police forces with the highest levels of tool theft recorded per resident in 2024 included the City of London Police, West Yorkshire Police, and Hertfordshire Constabulary.

However, when isolated from tool thefts from a vehicle, the Hertfordshire Constabulary comes out on top, followed by the Metropolitan Police Service and West Yorkshire Police.

Despite the overall fall in reported tool theft, some areas of the country continued to experience a rise in tool thefts last year.

Ten police forces reported a rise, with the most significant increases appearing from forces including Derbyshire Constabulary (up by 36%), Dorset Police (31% increase), Heddlu Gwent Police (31% increase), and Suffolk Constabulary (18% increase).

Meanwhile, 19 police forces recorded a fall in reported tool theft, including the Metropolitan Police Service whose data showed 4,000 fewer crimes than in 2023.

Shockingly, 79% of tradespeople have said they have experienced tool theft at some point in their lives.

And despite the reported decline in thefts overall, tool theft remains a growing concern among tradespeople, with 65% believing it has increased over the past year.

However, with the crime so prevalent, many tradespeople may have stopped reporting it.

When it comes to the general public, further research from Direct Line business insurance found that almost three in ten Brits (28%) have purchased second-hand tools.

Still, three-quarters (75%) would not feel confident identifying stolen tools being resold, highlighting the extent to which stricter regulation on the resale of tools could help reduce the frequency of these thefts by making their payoff less accessible.