White van man ditches Transit for startling different to move instruments amid thefts
Nearly two in five British tradesfolk now ferry tools in their car boots because they believe non-work vehicles won’t attract as much attention from thieves
White van man has been forced to abandon his trusty Transit and resort to transporting equipment in his car due to rampant tool theft.
Nearly two in five British tradesfolk now ferry tools in their car boots because they believe non-work vehicles won’t attract as much attention from thieves.
A further quarter are planning to ditch their Sprinter or Vivaro in favour of the family car to foil crooks as new data shows tool theft is soaring.
The crime jumped by 13% last year – with up to 100 cases reported to police per day – while autumn was a peak period for thieves as dark evenings descended earlier, said Direct Line business insurance.
Almost half of all reported tool theft was from vans.
The insurer, which surveyed more than 500 grafters, said: “Tradespeople are changing their behaviour to try to reduce the risk they face.”
It added: “Over a third of tradespeople said they had resorted to sometimes transporting their tools in the boot of their car – rather than in their van – to make it less obvious that they are carrying valuable equipment.
“A further 23% say that they are thinking of doing so, while 16% say they would like to but have too many tools to fit in their car.”
Around two in five remove tools from vans overnight and always keep their vehicles locked, even if leaving them briefly.
Three in 10 keep their vans at a lock-up or secure location, the same number mark or engrave tools, while a quarter have added extra alarms, locks or drill plates to their vehicles.
Some 24% use CCTV, a fifth only transport tools they need that day and more than one in 10 have fitted trackers or lug their tools around site.
Direct Line’s Mark Summerville said: “As the dark nights are upon us, the risks faced by hardworking tradespeople increase significantly.”
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