Thieves steal

By Shaun Inguanzo
POLICE are urging tradesmen to report stolen tools, after an incident in which thieves stole a van – and the livelihood – of one of Greater Dandenong’s ex-mayors.
On the evening of Sunday 20 July thieves stole a Toyota Hiace and the $6000 worth of tools in it after Dandenong carpenter and former councillor David Kelly parked it outside his home.
Mr Kelly told the Star he had since replaced the van and was slowly rebuilding his toolkit, but that the crime had caused him great inconvenience.
“I lost jobs, because I couldn’t be reliable,” he said.
“I’d go to a job that was very simple, go out to the truck and say ‘damn, I haven’t got that.’
“I’d then have to go to Bunnings and buy the tool and bits, and then go finish the job.”
Mr Kelly said thieves stealing tools from tradesmen’s vans was rife in the industry, and that many were now buying cheaper, poor quality tools to absorb the cost of replacing stolen ones.
Greater Dandenong Detective Senior Sergeant Terry Kane said police had received two reports in the past three weeks of stolen tools.
Det Sen Sgt Kane said the thefts might be more common than thought, but without tradesmen reporting them, police would have no way of confirming it.
Mr Kelly said the process of reporting stolen tools – and the frequency of their theft – was a barrier to most tradesmen lodging a report.
“The system is in place to get it back, but I lost half a day trying to go through it,” he said.
“And when police catch them (the thieves), they won’t tell you who the person is.”
Det Sen Sgt Kane urged tradesmen to make it as difficult as possible for people to steal their tools.
“Secure it, where possible leave it so it can’t be seen, and you’ll be less likely to have a problem,” he said.
“You have to understand that there are people out there wanting to steal things.
“If you take measures to make it more difficult for them to do so, you’ll be better off.”