Van theft and tool theft are a huge problem for tradesmen, but could we do more to prevent these crimes? In this article, Kelly Friel from Zoro explains what we can do to keep thieves at bay.

According to the RAC, an average of 30 vans are stolen every day in the UK. The end result of these thefts is an extra cost for trade businesses of nearly £62m¹, as companies have to pay to replace the tools inside them as well as the vans themselves.

Van theft has been on the rise for several years, but even a global pandemic hasn't slowed down the rate of these crimes. In fact, since the easing of the lockdown in April this year, more than £46m worth of tools have been reported as stolen from vehicles in the UK.

Nearly 38% of tradespeople have had their tools stolen at some point, yet despite the threat, 56% still leave their tools in a vehicle overnight². To help raise awareness of the steps we can be taking to prevent van and tool theft, I'll share a few best practice tips for deterring thieves below.

Protect your tools

It should be standard practice for every tradesman to bring your tools into your home at night to prevent them from being stolen from your van. This is especially important if you use power tools, as thieves are 10 times more likely to steal powered hand tools with 32,067 taken between 2019 and 2021 (compared to just 2,993 non-powered hand tools)³. If you must leave your tools in your van, you should consider installing a safe.

Marking tools with an address or phone number or painting them a special colour can help deter thieves and potentially even aid in their recovery, as they will be much more recognisable. However, only 1% of stolen tools are ever recovered³. It can help to register the serial numbers of your tools on an online database such as Immobilise, an official police security initiative — that way, you can report them as stolen and people can look up their tools on the database to see if they've unwittingly bought stolen goods.

Protect your van

Your van is not only susceptible to being broken into to access your tools and equipment, but van theft is on the rise too. You can protect your van by installing as many alarms and sensors as possible to deter thieves and help track it down if it does get lifted, as well as wheel and steering wheel locks that ensure thieves can't drive your van away.

It's up to you whether you want to go for an alarm with a siren that can alert you and other people in the area that a theft is being attempted, or a silent alarm. Silent alarms inform you of an ongoing theft via a notification to your phone, so you can phone the police to catch criminals in the act. Either way, you should also install GPS tracking so that the police can recover your van if it's been driven away by thieves.

Park somewhere safe

How you park your van can go a long way towards preventing theft, so in addition to safeguarding your tools and the vehicle's entry points as much as possible, you should carefully consider where you park. A secure garage is ideal, but something as simple as parking with your doors against a wall can help to prevent thieves from using the peel and steal method, which involves removing the back or side door to gain access to your van. But to minimise attempted thefts even further, you should look to park in areas where CCTV is in use and clearly advertised as a deterrent.

Clever parking doesn't just apply to where you leave your van at night, either. You should take these steps into consideration when leaving your van unattended on the job, no matter how quick you think you'll be. Thieves can be very efficient, so it might only take a matter of minutes for them to gain access to your vehicle.

Tool and van theft can be devastating for your business, and unfortunately, these crimes are still on the rise. The tips above can help you work out what you need to do to deter thieves, prevent theft, and potentially even recover your items if they do get stolen.

¹https://www.rac.co.uk/business/news-advice/uk-van-theft-on-the-rise

²https://www.hpmmag.com/news/millions-lost-in-tool-thefts-since-lockdowns-lifted

³https://securitynewsdesk.com/only-1-of-stolen-tools-are-ever-recovered/