Coventry Best 4 Business

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A Coventry vehicle company which has lost £40,000 through thefts of catalytic converters has turned to the team behind the city-wide Business Improvement District for help.

Guests Trucks contacted Coventry Best for Business (B4B) after eight burglaries in 12 months at its base on Kingswood Close in Holbrooks.

Thieves were targeting the exhaust devices because they are made of precious metals, such as titanium and platinum. They can be sold either for export overseas or sold as scrap - with replacements costing around £1,200 each.

Robin Hulse, general manager of Guest Trucks, said that thefts of the part are now reaching ‘epidemic' levels.

He said: "It's genuinely sickening. Whatever we have done has not worked - we've already got tall fences and CCTV but there are still break-ins which are putting our existence in Coventry at threat.

"The last three burglaries have cost us £40,000 - that's our bottom line and it's simply been stolen.

"We now have to remove every catalytic converter on site - around 100 at any one time. We have to store it until the vehicle needs to be used and then have to refit it. It's so impractical and a waste of our time, but we've got to do it to protect ourselves."

Robin wanted some security advice and contacted Coventry B4B - the company responsible for carrying out the BID scheme - to see if they could help.

David Hoare, a Coventry B4B Business Area Champion who is responsible for the Holbrooks area, immediately visited the site with BID security expert George Want. He made several recommendations - and nearly all have been implemented.

The changes include frequent visits by the BID's 24/7 mobile security patrol team and plans for a permanent, actively-monitored CCTV camera. An overnight security guard has also been hired.

The Coventry B4B team is also contacting authorities such as the railway police to discuss local security flaws which are putting businesses in the area at risk.

Robin added: "I called Coventry Best for Business on a Tuesday and by Friday we had upgraded everything we could, including an overnight guard, and the patrol teams are scanning the area frequently.

"There seems to be a pro-active approach with Coventry B4B and hopefully it will help end this nightmare for us."

David Hoare said other companies with persistent security problems should not suffer in silence.

"BID rate-payers should do what Guest Trucks has - let us know and let us help," he said.

"Guest Trucks employs 32 people and we can't afford to let a company of its size be victim to such a crime. We need to help them to solve its problems.

"The losses they have made are staggering - but now we want to put it to an end. These changes will help this individual business and its neighbours in Holbrooks."

If your business or employees have suffered business crime, visit www.coventryb4b.co.uk for advice on how you can make yourself less vulnerable or contact the BID team on 024 7665 4300.