REPORTED thefts of survey equipment in 2022 is 3.5 times higher than that reported in 2021. The first three months of 2023 is indicating that this high rate is continuing and is increasing month on month. It is understood that thefts of this type of equipment is vastly underreported, and therefore the numbers included in this article are likely to be much higher in reality.
Thefts of survey equipment are extremely costly; the equipment stolen in each incident generally costs anywhere from £10k- £50k. If storage units are targeted where multiple pieces of equipment are stored, the value of the theft can exceed £100k. Not only this, incidents can be traumatic for victims e.g. in one recent incident, a security guard was threatened with an iron bar, and violence has been reported in a number of further incidents too.
There are three distinct areas of the country that have been targeted in 2022 and continue to be targeted in 2023; London, Birmingham and Midlands, and the North West. Historically, equipment has been stolen most frequently from the roadside, where offenders approach the survey equipment usually in a vehicle, grab the equipment from out of the vehicle window and drag it into the vehicle. More recently, offenders have been entering construction sites by jumping over the fencing and steal the equipment when the surveyors back is turned.
Other common modus operandi (MOs) include thefts from surveyor’s vehicles, thefts from storage areas, thefts of secured unattended equipment (permanently set up for monitoring purposes) and increasingly, thefts of GPS equipment from construction and agricultural machinery. The theft of survey equipment is a crime trend that is continuing year on year, and the data from 2023 so far indicates that this crime trend is not only increasing, but offenders are becoming bolder in their techniques and are using violence more readily. The fact that the equipment is relatively small but such high value makes it extremely desirable for these offenders, who have an established disposal route. To compound the issue, insurance companies are now withdrawing the products that were being offered to survey companies as the theft issue is now so bad; therefore insurers can rarely afford to insure their equipment.
What is being stolen and why
Of the reports that have been received by Crime Intelligence, the type of survey equipment that is being stolen is usually total stations, GPS, laser scanners and machine controls. Total stations can be stolen whilst they are being stored, usually in a red box, or whilst they are in use, often on a tripod. Unattended surveying equipment has also been targeted, and is usually in a metal cage or mounted on a pole, and being used to survey movement in the land on construction sites. Another type of survey equipment that has suffered an increase in thefts is GPS from construction and agricultural equipment.
Further intelligence development is required to understand the disposal route of this equipment, and therefore the reason that it is frequently stolen. A proportion of stolen equipment is thought to be advertised on online unregulated market places, and a quick search on Ebay for ‘total station’ returns hundreds of results priced from £1k to £10k+. The other likely disposal route is that the equipment is sent abroad. Crime Intelligence is aware of two recent incidents where it is known that equipment is transported abroad. It is likely that the real number is dramatically higher than this, but due to the fact that offenders are aware of trackers and dispose of them, or use a signal jammer, there is very little evidence available of the intended destination for stolen equipment.
There have been at least two reported incidents of equipment being sent abroad in 2022 (Cairo and Slovakia, both reported in June). In the first of these incidents, the equipment was stolen from a vehicle in West London, and was then tracked to two locations in central London. From there, the equipment was taken to Heathrow where it was found in the offender’s luggage, who was checked in to a flight to Cairo. The offender was arrested. In addition, the tracker from equipment stolen in a further incident indicated that the equipment had been transported eastwards through Hungary before the tracker ran out of battery. There is currently no intelligence to suggest that the equipment is broken down into component parts, but this should not be ruled out.
When?
Peak month for offending in 2022 was November, however January-March 2023 showed a significant increase compared to all previous months. In 2022, the peak month for reported thefts of survey equipment was November, followed by February, April and August. So far in 2023 there have been over double the number of reported thefts in the first three months of 2023, compared to 2022. The rate of monthly thefts reported in January, February and March is higher than any month reported in 2022 – part of this increase can be attributed to better reporting.
In addition, the rate of thefts reported in the first three months of 2023 is almost double the number of reported incidents for the entire 2021. It is accepted that there was a low rate of thefts of survey equipment reported in 2020 and 2021 as the covid pandemic vastly reduced the amount of construction and survey work being carried out. It is also highly likely that survey equipment theft was underreported by victims in previous years, and it is believed that thefts of survey equipment continues to go underreported.
There is no obvious seasonal pattern or trend in reported thefts of survey equipment. Instead, the rate of thefts is likely to be driven by the number of construction projects ongoing in hotspot areas, as well as demand for the equipment through the offender’s disposal routes.
Where?
Historically, London, specifically East London, has been targeted most frequently for thefts of survey equipment. Thefts within the London area account for 54% of total reported thefts in 2022 (slightly up from 50% in 2021.) However the area of the country that has reported the largest increase in thefts when comparing the six months Oct22-Mar 23 to the prior six months is the West Midlands, where the rate of reported thefts during this time period has more than tripled. This is principally driven by the increased construction work on the HS2 project.
Other hotspot areas include Milton Keynes, Cambridgeshire, Leeds and Preston, and is driven by areas of the country where there is significant amounts of construction work occurring.
Where detail is given about the MO, this also varies depending on whether the theft is occurring outside or inside of London. Thefts within the Metropolitan Police area are most frequently from a vehicle or from the road side, and there has been a recent increase in construction sites being broken into during the day. However, outside of London, thefts are most frequently from breaking into storage area of sites over night, followed by thefts from vehicles.
How?
From roadside
Of the incidents where sufficient detail has been shared, 16% of offences in 2022 have been from the roadside. This is down from 75% in 2021. Much of this difference may be due to variations in reporting, however it is clear that improved safety measures that surveyors are taking (such as increased use of security guards) is deterring some offenders, or has forced them to find other means to steal the equipment. Offenders approach the equipment, often remaining in their vehicle and will lean out of the car and grab it. Or, they will approach on foot, grab the equipment and run into a waiting vehicle.
Offenders approach the equipment, often remaining in their vehicle and will lean out of the car and grab it.
Victims have reported that offenders will sometimes drive down the road with the equipment still hanging out of the car, until they are far enough away or out of sight before stopping to get the equipment inside the vehicle. There is usually no time for the surveyor or security officer nearby to react and the incident is over within a matter of seconds.
This also means that it is difficult for victims to report intelligence about the offender or their vehicle as there is little time for victims to register what is happening. Often, the fact that a tripod is being used makes the equipment easier to steal, as offenders can lean out of the car and grab one of the legs.
From vehicle
Offenders target vehicles, perhaps after seeing them working on a site and will then follow the victims for a period of time until the vehicle is left unattended. From the data reported to Crime Intelligence, offenders often gain access to vehicles by drilling the locks or smashing the window.
Equipment which can be in locked cases within the vehicle has been angle grinded away in previously reported incidents. This can happen within a very short space of time in busy carparks in the middle of the day (recent reports include from an Ikea and a Sainsbury’s car park). Thefts from vehicles have included smashing the window to the boot and drilling the locks.
From sites
There is an increasing trend of offenders gaining access to construction sites during the day to steal survey equipment whilst it is in use. Access is not usually gained from the main entrance, but from fencing being cut or offenders jumping over the fence, to steal the equipment.
In one recent incident in Canning Town, an offender wearing a hi-vis jacket, a beanie hat and blue surgical style face mask was seen looking over the fence into a construction site. The offender then entered the site and took the total station whilst the surveyor’s back was turned, before jumping back over the fence and into a waiting BMW. There have been a number of other reported incidents where offenders have gained access to a construction site either by jumping over the fence or cutting a hole in the fence.
From storage areas/buildings
Offenders have an established disposal route, which may be via online market places, or more likely to be shipped abroad.
Of incidents where sufficient detail has been shared, almost 20% of incidents in 2022 were reports of storage areas being broken into over night, sometimes by smashing a window or forcing a door open.
Once inside, the storage area has been ransacked. At least one of the reported incidents appeared to be a targeted attack, as offenders knew which room the equipment was being stored in. It is possible that offenders had been observing the site during the day and watched where surveyors left the equipment overnight.
There have been break-ins to buildings where it is known that a large amount of survey equipment stolen. Once a site has been targeted once, it is likely that offenders will return to the same site as they are aware of how to circumnavigate the existing security measures. It has been known for offenders to smash the internal CCTV system to ensure that no footage is caught.
Conclusion
Inference
At least one crime gang comprising approx. six people is carrying out thefts of survey equipment across the country. Usually, offenders tend to work in smaller groups of two, three or four, often using a Black 4-door BMW, a large black VW, or other vehicles, on stolen plates. The offenders are active principally between London and the West Midlands and carry out thefts using the following MOs.
Offenders have an established disposal route, which may be via online market places, or more likely to be shipped abroad. Whilst this disposal route is still open, offenders will continue to target this equipment. It is clear that unfortunately, this type of crime is continuing on the upward trajectory that has been ongoing since the end of the covid pandemic.
Understanding the disposal route of these items is becoming crucial. It is likely to be a small number of well organised OCGs, who now have an established disposal route in place. It is currently thought that the most likely disposal routes are abroad and/or on online market places, however further intelligence work is required to understand this better.
As the offences happen very quickly, it is difficult to gather evidence or intelligence about these offenders, unless there is CCTV available. It is rare that the same vehicle (or the same VRM) is captured in carrying out offences, and even more rare that images of the offenders are captured. It is therefore crucial that victims share as much intelligence as possible with both the police and Crime Intelligence, in order to develop a detailed, up to date understanding of this type of crime across the country.
Recommendations
Whenever a surveyor is confronted by potential offenders, there is always a risk of violence. Please ensure that offenders are not challenged, as they may be armed. Instead victims should try to take photos of the offenders and their vehicle (VRM, make, model, colour) if it’s safe to do so to gather as much intelligence as possible.
Crime Intelligence, DeterTech with special thanks to Leica and The Survey Association
crime.intelligence@detertech.com
Acknowledgement
This article is extracted from a fuller report by Crime Intelligence, DeterTech with kind permission.
Crime mapping dashboard
Please note that members of The Survey Association are able to access DeterTech’s crime mapping dashboard, free of charge, which shows sanitised details of the latest thefts of survey equipment that have been reported to DeterTech. It allows members of The Survey Association to see crime hotspots, which can be useful information when deciding whether to bid for/decline potential work depending on reported crime in the area. If you would like details of how to access this dashboard, please contact crime.intelligence@detertech.com