Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles say beware thieves

Vans have always been a target for thefts but according to a study by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles the theft of tools has soared in the last 12 months with more than a third of van drivers falling victim – up from a quarter the year before. 

The theft of tools costs the UK economy a small fortune, almost £10 billion in fact, because its not the loss of the tools but also the knock on effect of losing the ability to work.  The average value of equipment stored per van stands at £2,500, which means UK tradespeople are footing a £4.4 billion bill for replacement tools every year, as far as the knock on effect is concerned this can be as much as £5.2 billion as it stops a tradesperson working for six days on average.

While London remains the UK’s biggest tool-theft hotspot, the rate has reduced to 47% of van drivers from 55% in the previous year but this is in contrast to Scotland (45%), the North West (41%) and North East (40%), which have recorded huge surges in tool theft in the past year. The South East is the area where van drivers are least likely to fall victim to a break-in.

These figures sound slightly worrying but perhaps the real worry is the increase in the number of van drivers leaving tools in their vehicles overnight, with three-quarters admitting to doing so compared to less than half in 2020 and surprisingly just half of van drivers are taking extra precautions such as additional alarms, locks, and vehicle trackers.

The first step to protecting your vehicle is thinking about where you park it ensuring you use a well-lit area or in a car park with CCTV will help reduce unwanted attention. Where this cannot be achieved or if you have more than one vehicle, parking them defensively – in other words, where doors are blocked by another vehicle or object – can be a good deterrent.

Of course, this study was undertaken by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles to highlight their range of solutions to ensure vans remain protected, including an anti-theft alarm system that can be specified with interior monitoring, a back-up horn and tow-away protection. As part of its ‘Working With You’ promise they also offers a variety of lockable racking solutions and storage boxes for expensive tools.