Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police
The Met has recovered what is believed to be the largest stash of stolen tools ever discovered in the UK, after officers uncovered a £2 million haul in east London.
A construction firm reported that high‑value equipment had been stolen from a site in Tilbury, Essex.
Using a tracking device fitted to the equipment, Met officers were able to trace the stolen goods with the assistance of the National Construction and Agri Theft Team.
Local officers gained entry and discovered the equipment, as well as a vast quantity of stolen tools and machinery, with an estimated value of around £2 million. Two suspects were arrested at the scene, with a third suspect identified and arrested at another address with more stolen tools and equipment were discovered.
The suspects are thought to be part of an organised criminal group involved in reselling stolen items online and shipping them across the UK and Europe.
Inspector Mark Connolly, from the Met’s local policing team in east London, said:
“Too many tradespeople are being put out of work and out of pocket by organised tool thieves. Operations like this show that the Met is taking action to protect tradespeople and their livelihoods.
“This is one of the largest recoveries of stolen tools we’ve ever made, and it sends a clear message that we will identify offenders and bring them to justice. Our teams are working with partners across construction, retail and logistics to disrupt the organised networks that profit from these offences, and to return stolen tools to their rightful owners.
“Our message to tradespeople is to mark your items with synthetic DNA to make it easier to forensically link items and register the serial number with the manufacturer and the UK National Property Register.”
The recovered tools — amounting to 10 lorry loads — have now been transferred to a secure police premises, where officers are working to identify the items and trace their rightful owners. Some of the equipment is believed to be linked to thefts dating back as far as 2019.
The Met is continuing to target tool thieves through intelligence‑led operations, as part of its ongoing commitment to reducing crime across London and supporting communities affected by volume crime.
Read more about how the Met is prioritising community crime-fighting as part of A New Met for London: Phase 2 here.
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To share information with the investigation team or to contact officers, email EAMailbox.OpLarkwood@met.police.uk.
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