Ways To Prevent Tool Theft From Vans | Tool Storage Solutions For Vans

It is estimated that in the United Kingdom a van is broken into every 23 minutes.

Individuals and businesses are losing vast amounts of money as thieves target vans for the tools located inside.

The consequence of tool theft can be devastatingly costly for tradesmen. Tools will need to be replaced whilst income is halted and contracts lost.

What you can do?

There is a long list of things you can do to keep your van and the contents inside safer and more secure. Many of these suggestions are simple, precautionary measures that won’t cost anything, only requiring a little care and attention when leaving your van:

1. Lock your van and close the windows
   Over half of tool thefts are by opportunist thieves. By locking up properly – no matter whether you’re leaving the van for a minute or fifteen minutes – you’re already halving the chance of being a victim of theft.
2. Park your van tightly in a corner
   Most vans come with a single sliding door on the passenger’s side, so if you park it very tightly in a corner, the rear and side doors are completely inaccessible.
3. Park your van in a bright, well-lit area
   Keeping your van in a well-lit area is a big deterrent to thieves, making any suspicious activity very evident.
4. Remove expensive tools overnight
   Generally it’s harder to break into a building than a van. However, we appreciate that removing your tools every night can be laborious. At the very least, consider removing a couple of your most expensive pieces of equipment when you leave it for a long amount of time.
5. Keep receipts and an inventory of your tools
   Victims of tool theft often say that they wish they had kept proof of the tools that were in their van, because insurance companies very rarely accept evidence. Keeping a file of the receipts, keeping an up-to-date inventory of all your tools and regularly taking photos of them in your van can all help to create a solid claim. It might take a little time but it will cost you nothing to implement.

There are other options available to you that will incur costs, but are great ways of helping prevent theft:

1. Insurance
   Make sure you have van insurance, and check your documents thoroughly as insurance companies will usually only cover you in very specific circumstances. Familiarise yourself with the small print – for instance, most insurance companies won’t accept a claim for stolen tools if your van wasn’t locked at the time of theft. If you feel the conditions of your insurance are unrealistic, you could try to renegotiate or find a better provider that covers you for what you require.
2. Van box
   There are several brands of van box available on the market that can upgrade your tool security. It’s worth choosing a box that is strongly built and with good reviews. Features such as anti-jemmy design, reinforcements, deadlocks and thick steel are all features to look out for when choosing the perfect van box. Van boxes to avoid are those that are secured with a padlock, as most padlocks can be twisted open with a good jemmy. You can pick up an Armorgard TuffBank which is a good size to fit most vans and trucks and fits all the criteria – or go one better and get a StrongBank, which is the best of the best!
3. Van lock protection plates
   These are plates that cover the area around the lock with an additional layer of reinforcement, making locks more difficult to pick or break.
4. Advanced locks
   Slamlocks – these locks are designed specifically to lock the door securely every time it’s slammed closed, hence the name.  The best slamlocks to have are those that are vehicle specific and inset into the van door. Slamlocks can also be keyed alike.
   Deadlocks – these don’t have a spring loaded bolt, and therefore need a key to physically turn the internal cylinder, which in turn moves the bolt – making it a very difficult lock to pick. When a 5-lever deadlock is paired with anti-drill plates, you get one of the most secure locks on the market, and the only one that is usually accepted by insurance companies for house doors.
5. Mark tools with a UV pen
   The police recover thousands of stolen goods every year: but this is wasted if they can’t positively identify the owners. Goods will only be returned the owners if they can provide proof that the goods are theirs. Using a UV pen is the most simple, reliable and cost-effective way of doing this. It leaves an invisible mark that can only be detected using a UV light.
6. Van stickers
   Whilst many vans in the UK feature stickers saying “no tools left in this van overnight”, this may still invite thieves to break in. Adding other stickers that mention the security of your tools – such as advertising a strong alarm system – can be successful. Another ‘thinking outside of the box’ trick which is gaining popularity is to advertise yourself as something other than a contractor/tradesman – a large sign saying “Butchers” or “Florists” on the side of your van isn’t going to attract the same attention from potential tool thieves!
7. CCTV
   If you have a bright floodlight on your house, it should be relatively easy to install a CCTV system near it. As with flood lights, make sure any CCTV camera is mounted as high as possible to make it hard to access.
8. Alarms
   Alarm systems for vans are becoming increasingly popular as an effective line of defence. Alarm systems are an efficient way to be alerted of any problems.

We supply a range of tool storage equipment that can help improve tool security:

strongbank
An ultra-strong tool safe – the world’s toughest strongbox.

tuffbank
A best-selling secure site storage solution – with a Gold security rating.

oxbox
The simple but dependable solution for securing your tools and equipment.

trekdror
These steel tool drawers offer the ultimate in versatility, with removable partitions to keep everything tidy.

tuffstor cabinet
An ultra-tough cabinet that keeps your equipment organised and easily accessible.

strimmersafe vault
This ultra-tough secure vault is great for storing strimmers and long handled tools.

• If you become a victim of tool theft, here’s a few things you should consider doing:
• Report your tool theft to the Police straight away, so they can try and track down the thieves: if you have CCTV footage or other evidence they will want to have a record. This also means you should be notified when they have any updates or if they find any goods that match those you lost.
• Notify your insurance company as soon as possible. Sometimes insurance companies need to know about the incident within a few days for your claim to be valid, so it’s important to let them know straight away.
• Check out any local second hand tool shops, Cash Converters, local car boot sales and so on – thieves are lazy and don’t often travel far to get rid of their goods.
• Keep an eye on eBay, Gumtree, Facebook Marketplace and other second hand online selling sites – if you see your tools appear, you can raise a ticket with the customer service team for that site.
• Post images of the tools lost online, on social media such as Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, and use popular hashtags such as #vantheft #tooltheft #vansecurity #vancrime #stolen to make your post easily searchable. If people see the tools you have lost they might contact you or report it to the police themselves. It also makes it very hard for thieves to sell your tools if people can easily recognise them as stolen.