Van drivers across the UK are being targeted by thieves on the hunt for expensive tools, with over a quarter (27%) having experienced tool theft in the last 12 months.
An average of 20,000 individual cases are reported to police forces across the UK each year, with the replacement costs standing at around £15m a year, according to research by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles.
Add in the costs of downtime – an estimated £550 a day per van – and it’s a major problem for drivers and operators.
More than half of van drivers (57%) who own tools are at risk, as they regularly leave gear in vans overnight, according to Volkswagen’s study.
Yet a third (31%) don’t protect their expensive equipment with extra alarms, secondary locks, or vehicle trackers.
London is the hotspot for tool theft with 55% of tradespeople having equipment stolen in the past year, followed by the West Midlands (33%), North East (28%), North West (25%), and East Anglia (23%).
Key advice on avoiding tool theft includes parking in a well-lit area or in a car park with CCTV to help reduce unwanted attention. Where this isn’t possible, parking vehicles defensively – where doors are blocked by another vehicle or object – can be a good deterrent.
Fleets and drivers also have a wealth of security products at their disposal. As part of the Business Pack available across the Volkswagen Caddy, Transporter and Crafter, an anti-theft alarm system can be specified with interior monitoring, a back-up horn and tow-away protection. As Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles also offers a variety of lockable racking solutions and storage boxes for expensive tools as part of its Working With You promise.
Another option is Volkswagen’s We Connect, available as standard across the majority of the range. Not only can drivers check important information on your smartphone, such as if doors are locked or lights are left on, but specifying We Connect Plus brings additional security benefits, such as the online anti-theft warning system, which immediately sends a message to the linked mobile phone in the event of a burglary attempt.
David Hanna, head of sales operations at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, commented: “Tool theft is a massive problem for tradespeople with thieves targeting vans parked up overnight across the country. It not only costs van drivers millions in buying new kit, but also impacts their ability to do their jobs, further impacting their finances. We’re urging people who own expensive equipment to take extra precautions to deter would-be thieves, whether that’s removing items overnight, adding extra security measures, or avoiding parking in unlit, secluded areas.”
For more details on how to protect your LCV, check out Van Fleet World‘s feature on van security.
