The landscaping industry is a prime target for theft due to the high-value equipment and assets in this sector. Theft of commercial landscaping equipment and other items can cost businesses financially and put a hold on operations. In fact, the annual cost of equipment theft is $400 million. To make matters worse, many stolen assets lack unique identifiers, which makes recovery difficult if not impossible.
For these reasons, it’s important to understand the latest commercial landscaping tool theft trends. With this context, landscaping companies can implement proactive security measures to protect their property and their bottom line.
Learn more about our top five commercial landscaping theft trends in this guide.
Why Landscaping Businesses Are Prime Targets for Theft
Landscaping businesses are at risk of theft since materials, equipment, and tools are highly attractive to thieves. Landscaping products like chainsaws, trimmers, and mowers are expensive to buy and retain their value over time. There is a strong secondhand market for these tools, with buyers who tend not to question the origin of the equipment.
Many landscaping companies have expansive sites with both parking lot areas and multiple buildings where equipment is stored. Assets are spread out across many areas of your property, often unsupervised when they’re not being actively used, which increases their exposure to theft. You may think that chain-link fencing and basic padlocks are enough, but the reality is that these measures are easy for determined thieves to bypass.
5 Trends in Commercial Landscaping Theft
Here are the top landscaping equipment theft trends to proactively prepare for.
1. Landscaping Equipment
Trends in landscaping equipment theft are driven by their high resale value and portability. Commonly stolen equipment like lawnmowers, trimmers, and blowers is in constant demand by both businesses and homeowners looking for secondhand equipment.
This demand makes it relatively easy for criminals to sell stolen equipment through pawn shops or online marketplaces. The lack of tracking devices on these tools further complicates recovery efforts — in fact, 40% of stolen landscaping equipment is never recovered. Theft of landscaping equipment can paralyze operations for days and force the business to cancel upcoming jobs as it works to recoup or replace the stolen asset.
To combat this trend, we recommend implementing the following strategies:
- Implement multi-tiered locking and secure storage systems: Lock away your equipment using high-security padlocks with hardened steel shackles and pick-resistant cylinders. You may also consider investing in heavy-duty, lockable job boxes or storage containers that are bolted down to the truck bed or trailer.
- Invest in tool marking and identification: Engravings and other permanent markings make equipment less attractive for thieves, since they know the items will be harder to sell. Include information like your company name, phone number, and the item’s unique serial number. Another option is tamper-proof asset tags that include QR codes or barcodes that link to a database of equipment information.
- Consider GPS tracking or geofencing: The ability to track your equipment via GPS increases the chance of recovering the assets if stolen. With geofencing, you can set up virtual boundaries around your storage locations or job sites, then get alerts if there is unauthorized movement of equipment outside of those boundaries.
2. Copper Wire and Irrigation Equipment
Stolen copper and irrigation parts can be sold quickly for cash, either as scrap or on the resale market. This trend is driven by the rising value of raw materials and the high cost of specialized equipment.
Even small amounts of copper are lucrative for thieves. The demand for copper in construction, utilities, and manufacturing keeps prices high. Plus, many scrap yards and metal recyclers often pay cash for copper with little scrutiny about its origin.
Irrigation equipment, including controllers, pumps, valves, and sprinkler heads, are costly to replace. There’s a strong demand for used irrigation equipment as buyers seek lower prices than new retail. What’s more, irrigation systems are installed outdoors, sometimes in remote or poorly monitored areas, making them easy targets for opportunistic criminals.
3. Vehicles and Trailers
Another growing trend is vehicle and trailer theft, which results in significant consequences for landscaping businesses. Losing a truck or trailer can halt operations, delay jobs, and leave crews without the means to transport equipment.
Commercial trucks and trailers are valuable as whole units or can be stripped for high-demand parts like catalytic converters. Thieves may also use stolen vehicles to commit additional crimes, such as transporting stolen goods.
What makes these assets easy targets? Vehicles and trailers are frequently left unattended at job sites, in driveways, or at storage yards — sometimes overnight or for extended periods. Plus, the keys may be left inside vehicles or nearby, granting thieves quick access. A smart investment is to use wheel locks, hitch locks, and trailer security chains to prevent tow-away theft.
4. Fuel
Landscaping businesses often store fuel on-site in tanks or keep gas cans in trucks and trailers. Given that fuel costs are high, the value of even a few gallons of unleaded gasoline becomes significant and makes it a tempting target for thieves.
Thieves may steal fuel in a few ways:
- Siphoning: Thieves use hoses to siphon gas directly from vehicle tanks or storage containers.
- Gas cans: Portable gas cans are easy to grab from open trailers, truck beds, or job sites.
- Storage tanks: On-site fuel tanks, especially those without locks or surveillance, are prime targets for larger-scale theft.
5. Hand Tools
Thieves frequently steal hand tools from landscaping businesses for several reasons:
- Portability: Tools like shovels, pruners, rakes, and hand saws are small, lightweight, and can be quickly grabbed and concealed. Thieves can take multiple tools in a matter of seconds, often without drawing attention.
- High resale value: Landscapers, gardeners, and homeowners are always looking for affordable tools from a secondhand market. These items can be sold at pawn shops, flea markets, or online with relative ease.
- Lack of identification: Most hand tools don’t have unique identifiers. Without markings or engravings, stolen tools can be mixed in with legitimate ones and resold quickly.
Proactive Security Strategies to Protect Your Landscaping Business
Traditional security measures like security guards and chain-link fences are often insufficient against sophisticated theft tactics. A more proactive approach to physical security can help deter theft, minimize potential losses, and ensure business continuity for your landscaping company.
Consider implementing the following perimeter security measures:
- Electric fencing: Electric fencing is a formidable barrier to deter would-be intruders. If someone attempts to breach your perimeter, they receive a safe but memorable shock — enough to make them think twice about trying again.
- Commercial surveillance cameras: When placed strategically, cameras offer continuous surveillance of your perimeter. Combining security cameras with remote and mobile monitoring gives you peace of mind that your site or facility is being monitored 24/7 for real-time response to potential threats.
- Alarm-based lighting systems: Alarm-based perimeter lighting integrates with your electric fencing system, flooding the area with light with the fence alarm is activated. This immediate response alerts security personnel to the potential threat and helps deter even the most determined criminal.
- Access control: Gate Access Control allows you to manage and monitor who enters and exits your property. Integrating this system with other security measures restricts unauthorized vehicle access, tracks entry activity, and enhances your overall perimeter protection.
- Building intrusion detection: If you store landscaping equipment inside warehouses or other facilities, you need to protect those buildings from unauthorized access. Building intrusion detection denies access to weak points like windows and doors through features like door contacts and wireless motion detectors.
Secure Your Landscaping Business With AMAROK
Theft in the commercial landscaping industry is evolving, with criminals targeting a wider range of assets using more sophisticated methods. Proactive, multi-layered security solutions are essential to protect your business, assets, and reputation.
AMAROK’s perimeter security solutions prevent 99% of external theft after installation. Schedule a free threat assessment and see how we can secure your premises and safeguard your landscaping company’s property, people, and profits.
