Getting your van broken into is one of the most frustrating things that can happen to a business. You have the expense and inconvenience of having to get the damage repaired and replacing any tools or equipment that have been taken.
You’ll also deal with the problem of trying to continue to provide a service to your clients whilst your vehicle is off the road being repaired. The best plan is to prevent break-ins in the first place with some additional security measures.
The cost of van break-ins
According to information obtained from police forces in the UK by BBC 5 Live Investigates, there has been a rise in the thefts of tools from vehicles. In the 2014/2015 period, there were 14,063 such thefts reported; in the 2016/17 period, this had risen by two thirds to 22,749.
Some experts have blamed this on a new technique that is being adopted by thieves called “peel and steal”. The thieves use their body weight to press on the side of the van and then lift open the top of the side door. Others have blamed the use of skeleton keys; these are legally used by locksmiths but members of the public sometimes acquire them.
Preventing van break-ins
Fitting a range of van locks will go a long way toward keeping your property safe. You can fit a lock to your bonnet that will stop thieves from stealing expensive engine parts.
Tyre locks are another popular option. They fit over the van wheels and stop the wheels from being removed and the van from being driven away. They are easily visible and discourage a lot of thieves. However, they can be fiddly to put on, so they are best used when the van is parked for a few hours at a time.
Vehicle alarms will act as a deterrent if they are clearly visible. A flashing light signals that they have been set. Most vehicle alarms have electronic motion sensors that are activated when your van is broken into. This sets off an audible alarm and makes the lights of the vehicle flash. You attach a variety of items to the outside of your van using metal bonding adhesives such as those you can find at http://www.ct1ltd.com/ if you need to adhere metal signage or other items to your van to increase your security measures.
An immobilizer is designed to prevent the van from being driven away, and a steering wheel lock adds another layer of inconvenience for would-be thieves.
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