Your van is essential to your business, it gets you from job to job, it stores all your tools, it’s your mobile office. Without it, your business would come to a standstill. So just how secure is your van?
Shocking figures reveal that van tool theft in the UK has become so severe that a van is broken into every 23 minutes. Figures published by Simply Business show that tradesman tool theft is up by 30% with tradespeople in Yorkshire being at particular risk.
2018 tool theft data shows thieves are becoming increasingly more sophisticated. With techniques like the ‘peel and steel’ tool theft method whereby the thief applies pressure to the van door with the knees, before ‘peeling’ the door down from the top and stealing the tools from within. Another method is using an electronic key fob to break into vehicles. Sometimes referred to as the ‘relay’ method, as it involves two criminals, one will intercept the signal from the owner’s key fob, while the other criminal uses the bought fob to replicate the signal and open the van door. Worryingly, the fobs used to break in this way are being sold for as little as £30 on the likes of Amazon and eBay.
The cost of a break in and tool theft is very expensive for tradespeople. Having to replace your stolen tools and fix your van is expensive enough, but your tools and your van are necessary to your work, without them your business is seriously affected.
It may seem an obvious one but double check when leaving your van unattended that all doors are locked and windows are closed. Don’t make it easy for them!
Parking your van in a well-lit, busy area will hopefully stop potential thieves from targeting your van. And if there is CCTV at the location, even better.
Always keep your tools well hidden and out of sight. If possible remove your tools from your van overnight so if a thief does target your van, at least you will not have to go to the expense of replacing all your tools as well as repairing your van.
While it may be an additional expense, it is far better to prevent the theft of your property rather than wait until after you have been the victim of theft. Standard locks on van are easily broken into as explained above. Rather than having the cost of repairing your van and replacing your tools, not to mention the loss of earnings while your van is out of action, invest in high security locks which not only will secure your van, but also act as a visual deterrent to would be thieves.
