Crane companies in France are being warned of a growing spate of thefts of a wide range of safe load monitoring equipment.
The warning has been made by French crane association UFL – the Union Française du Levage – who said that the sharp increase in thefts is country-wide and affecting both urban and rural areas.
UFL, an ESTA member, is asking the French Police and other authorities for increased support in combatting the thefts but in the meantime the association is warning its members and international companies operating in France to be aware of the problem and to take anti-theft measures whenever possible.
UFL says the criminals are targeting new and old machines alike and are professional – they know what they are doing, know how to get into the crane and know where the parts are.
Eric Stroppiana, UFL President, and Technical and Commercial Director of Groupe Foselev, said: “This is a growing problem. The thefts appear to be professional and well-organised – presumably the equipment is being resold and probably taken out of the country but at this stage we don’t know more.”
Hervé Rebollo, Managing Director of DLR – the national federation that UFL is a member of – added: “The thefts are at a level we have never seen before. The situation is crazy and the police and the authorities are not doing enough.”
UFL is compiling a file of such incidents to show the scale of the problem and to put pressure on the authorities to take action. As a result, it is asking any company that has suffered such a theft to get in touch. Details can be found on its website at www.uflevage.fr.