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Protecting the Tools You Store in Your Van

29/03/2018 Tools in the back of a trade van.

The increase in thefts from trade vans over the last few years has highlighted the importance of trade vehicle security. Many tradesmen and women and their businesses suffer after their tools are stolen. Thefts are now so common that it’s asserted that a trade van is broken into every 23 minutes. Protecting your tools should be your priority and today we will be talking about how you can best do this.

The Epidemic of Tool Thefts

It can take years and a great personal expense to build up a toolkit that allows for you to make an honest living but, if you have inadequate security, it only takes minutes for someone to break in and steal all of these tools. In the past few years the number of thefts from vans reported to the police has skyrocketed, with as many as 215 tradespeople a day having their tools stolen. 

With so many incidents of this nature being reported to the police, dealing with all of the crimes is proving to be impossible for forces around the country. Very often, those who have had their tools stolen will only receive an email address that they can report the crime to. The theft of these tools doesn’t only cost money to replace them, thieves often cause thousands worth of damage to vehicles, victims lose work and wages as a result and in many cases the victims lose their insurance no-claims bonuses.

Preventing Tool Thefts

Preventing the theft of your tools is the easiest way to eradicate the problem of stolen tools: 

  • Secure toolboxes – Having a secure lock box for your tools will improve their security. Adding this extra protection can help protect your tools from theft and save you money in the long run. Van Vault and Armorgard have some of the most secure products on the market and have lots of experience within the industry. 
  • Install deadlocks – Having deadlocks installed on your van will improve your van’s security significantly. Deadlocks require a physical key to get into and the ones we have are Thatcham-approved. On top of protecting your tools, they may also reduce your premiums for certain insurance deals.
  • Remove the tools – Although this isn’t always possible to do, removing your tools after every working day and storing them somewhere secure will help to reduce the risk of your tools being stolen. 
  • Park your van against a wall – A simple but effective way to reduce the risks of your tools being pinched is to park your van against a wall. This will prevent thieves gaining access to the back of the van and to your trade tools. Some tradesmen and women are also being forced to put up signs deterring thieves.

We Can Help

Here at PT Lock & Safe, we can help you to protect you tools by installing either slam or deadlocks to your trade van. Our slamlocks ensure your van automatically locks whenever you slam the door shut. We can install these and our deadlocks to your van, with slamlocks costing just £135 and deadlocks costing £177 per door. We also offer a discount on these prices if you come to us, however we are happy to travel to you.

Want to protect your tools with our slam or deadlocks? Call us on 01603 812613 or email us on admin@ptlockandsafe.co.uk.

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Our colleagues at Hendy Car and Van Store have produced a very handy document called A Tradesman's Guide to Keeping Your Van Secure that goes into much more detail than we can in a short blog post.