9 June, 2025

Local tradies invited to help fight crime with laser

Laser force… Paul Sievers of Devonport Electrical using an engraver to mark a battery for Baxter Richardson of Devonport Locksmiths

Devonport tradies are fighting back against thieves stealing tools from their vans and trucks by engraving details on equipment to make it unsaleable on the black market.
After tools and equipment worth between $10,000 and $15,000 were stolen in January from a van parked outside his Norwood Rd home, Paul Sievers of Devonport Electrical decided to take preventative action. He ordered a $1200 laser engraver from China and started marking all the firm’s equipment.
After another of the company’s vehicles was targeted when parked in Mt Eden last week, with another $15,000 of tools being taken, Sievers put out an offer to use the engraver to mark other tradespeople’s tools.
So far, several have been in contact to take up the offer.
Sievers had previously been involved with a police-initiated engraving scheme, although this was a time-consuming process, with the marking done by hand.
While the initial cost of his engraver was substantial, he sees it as an investment given that he usually has eight vehicles out and about, with in excess of $10,000 worth of tools in each.
Any thefts result in countless man hours expended sorting out insurance claims and replacement equipment.
Engraving takes only about 30 seconds for each item.
With the tradesperson’s name on each piece of equipment, it’s clear to any potential buyer where it has come from when it appears “on Facebook marketplace, where all this stuff is going”, Sievers says.
“The laser engraving is almost impossible to remove.”
Baxter Richardson of Devonport Locksmiths was only too happy to take Sievers up on his offer last week.
Richardson estimates he has around $12,000 worth of equipment in his truck.
He’s hopeful that engraving by a high proportion of local tradespeople will put off thieves operating in the area.
He says he’d have greater peace of mind if potential thieves realised Devonport was a no-go area for stealing tools.