1.8.10/3:30 am
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Crosshire
Know Your Enemy
Executive Hire News, September 2008 Go to main Crosshire page
When the cost of doing business rises, and finding anyone to do business with becomes more challenging, one thing is certain: everyone tries to hang on to their cash longer. Obviously, some reputable clients just take time and need harder kicks from our credit controllers. However, there are an increasing number of individuals who have no intention of paying for anything, because they are in business to steal our equipment, either by deception or theft.
When business becomes difficult, these villains seem to multiply quicker than slime on a pond. On our patch in the last three months, a scam has been operated whereby many hirers and builders merchants have given credit to a plausible new company that was set up purely to acquire plant and materials, and then make them disappear. Needless to say, the con men behind this operation also disappeared! Blatant outright theft of plant continues, with stories of premises being entered by walls being cut open, or lax security allowing machines to be loaded and driven away in broad daylight just because no one
bothered to check what was going on.
If direct losses by theft and deception are not bad enough, a quick chat with any of the specialist credit reference agencies for our industry confirms that insolvencies and other company failures are rising rapidly. When any outfit remotely connected with building or construction goes belly up, the creditors list is a 'who's who' of hire. I firmly believe that, while we cannot stop this trend, we can reduce it by some simple and cheap actions. Knowledge, as ever, is a powerful weapon and we must talk to each other on a
local basis to stay alert. The scam mentioned above was fuelled by silly counter staff being duped by the promise that the 'client' was unhappy with a competitor, and so they could enjoy all his future business. If local hirers had spoken to each other, the warning bells might have rung a lot earlier.
Whether it is corporate depots or proud independents, we seem to be more concerned at 'putting one over' on each other than helping our industry rid itself of a real threat to our bottom line. It may not be politically correct, but it is accurate to state categorically that, where theft and deception are concerned, the itinerant community will usually not be far away. In addition to direct action on their own behalf, they have become the foot soldiers of organised plant theft. When they are not lifting manhole covers or church roofs for scrap, they are at the business end of a large swathe of equipment theft.
Know your enemy: they typically drive flashy 4 x 4 utilities or expensive German saloons with blacked-out windows. They often park outside premises or drive into larger yards for a look around. Did you know that you can punch any registration number into www.askmid.com and check if it is currently insured, and what type of vehicle it should be? Informing the police that an apparently uninsured vehicle is behaving suspiciously will usually bring a response. Odds are that it won't be taxed and may be running on red diesel as well. Crosshire realises there are gadgets that can be fitted to our kit to prevent theft, or to locate it if it is stolen. I am sorry to inform the purveyors of these gizmos that the window of useful life between the introduction of a device and the criminals devising counter measures is narrowing rapidly. The best and cheapest defence is vigilance, and spreading information.
Do you train your staff to recognise our enemy? Do they always say NO, however plausible the deal on offer? Do you tell your local competitors that trouble is in town? There are many instances where counter staff have been lured by the dark side of our enemy who will wave rolls of high-value cash at them to instil false security. Warn your people that you will never get your hands on any significant amount of this cash compared to the value of the plant they may intend to spirit away. Above all, everyone in our industry should be in no doubt that, whatever equipment the travelling people get their hands on, it may end up travelling with them!
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EhnEditor
1.10.08/1:42 pm
Straight-talker
24.10.08/11:55 am
Last week we used this site to check a vehicle(it was uninsured,wrong make,model,colour etc and full of dodgy looking blokes asking to buy crowbars & bolt cutters) We phoned the police to inform them of our suspicions and left it at that. Three hours later they phoned us back thanking us for the info as they had followed the vehicle and arrested three men (Caught red handed stealing cable from a nearby factory). We must use whatever means at our disposal to stop this kind of crime .We use this site as part of our day to day now asking as part of the ID checks if we may check their reg no. If the customer refuses,so do we!
1.8.10/3:30 am
This topic has generated much debate in the last month and Crosshire is on the case again, discussing our interpretation of the right to use the askmid site for the purpose of crime prevention in his October article. Here are some of the letters and emails we received in response to 'Know Your Enemy'.
Dear Sir
I read with interest the recent Crosshire article and was interested in the inclusion of a web site that could be used to check if vehicles are currently insured and what type of vehicle it should be.
I have been advised by our legal team that it is a breach of the site conditions to use it for business. With your magazine being sent to a large proportion of our own Jewson Tool Hire outlets, we are a little concerned that they make use of this web site without the appropriate authorisation to do so.
Would it be possible to clarify with Crosshire that they do indeed have the necessary permissions to use this web site or, if not, could a correction possibly be inserted in to one of your future issues.
Andrew Jones, Senior Auditor, Saint-Gobain Building Distribution
Dear Sir
I always enjoy reading Crosshire, possibly because my concerns often coincide with his. This month I was particularly interested in his article on plant theft, and the means he gave us to carry out surreptitious checks on ‘visitors’. However, on testing the system, I find that the web site recommended has a warning that it is only to be used by us to check on or OWN vehicles, not those belonging to anyone else. Or does our wish to see crooks dealt with appropriately constitute a ‘reasonable cause’?
John Blake, Managing Director, Thurston Building Supplies Ltd
Dear Sir
Having read your Crosshire column in September, you mention that all vehicle registrations can be checked by using www.askmid.com.
When you actually go on to the site, it basically says that you must be the owner or an employee of the owners to use the service. It goes on to say that you could be in breach of the Data Protection Act if you use it for other purposes.
What is your understanding of the situation in checking Third Party Vehicles?
Colin Wright, Master Key Finance Services Ltd
Dear Sir
Please can you clarify the following :
We note that in ‘Crosshire’ page of your September issue, you suggest that we can ‘punch’ any registration number into ‘askmid’ site to check whether it is insured and what type of vehicle it is. However, when using this service, one is asked to confirm ownership or use of the vehicle etc, and warns of the possibility of commiting an offence in obtaining this information if not entitled to.
Please can you advise us as to how we stand legally if we use this facility, as it will not proceed with the enquiry unless you check the box to confirm ownership etc. We would very much like to be able to use this facility and suspect that it’s use is possibly not monitered.
Andrew Baker, Director, Abna Equipment & Tool Hire Ltd.