According to research by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, a staggering 27% of van drivers have fallen victim to tool theft in the last 12 months – crime that costs businesses an estimated £15million a year.
VW has also identified the tool theft hotspots in the UK, with London, the West Midlands and the North East the worst affected areas.
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How did Volkswagen find all this out?
The alarming statistic that suggests over a quarter of UK van drivers have suffered tool theft comes from a VW survey of 1,000 of them.
And there’s more where that came from. Despite the risks, over half of van drivers – 57% – still leave tools and equipment in their vehicles overnight.
Meanwhile 31% – nearly a third – are failing to protect their vans with additional alarms, locks or tracking devices.
>> The Parkers guide to van security
Which parts of the country are worst for van tool theft?
VW’s research has revealed that London is worst for tool theft, with a staggering 55% of tradespeople having had equipment stolen in the past 12 months.
In the West Midlands the figure is 33%, the North East 28%, the North West 25% and East Anglia 23%.
A further freedom of information request to the UK’s police forces revealed that an average of 20,000 individual cases are reported across the country every year (34 out of 47 police forces polled responded).
What’s the cost of all this?
The total cost of the lost tools and equipment stands at around £15 million per year.
But tool theft also impacts on your ability to carry out work, leading to further losses while vans are repaired and gear is replaced.
Volkswagen puts the cost of this downtime at an estimated £550 per day per van.
What can be done?
We have a full guide to van security, which is worth a read, covering basic tips – such as thinking about where you park – right up to the sophisticated solutions now available to help reduce van crime.
VW is keen to point out that while it doesn’t fit an alarm as standard across its van ranges, the most basic models are available with an attractively priced Business Pack that does include one.
Similarly, its latest We Connect connectivity technology, standard on many models, allows you to remotely check whether your van is locked, among other things. At extra cost, We Connect Plus will actively alert you to break-in attempts as well.
Head of Sales Operations at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, David Hanna, commented: ‘Tool theft is a massive problem for tradespeople with thieves targeting vans parked up overnight across the country.
‘It not only costs van drivers millions in buying new kit, but also impacts their ability to do their jobs, further impacting their finances. We’re urging people who own expensive equipment to take extra precautions to deter would-be thieves, whether that’s removing items overnight, adding extra security measures, or avoiding parking in unlit, secluded areas.’
Also read:
>> Van security guide – top tips to avoid van theft
>> Keyless van theft on the rise
>> Van theft up 45% in four years
>> Ford SecuriAlert is new name for Ford Guard Mode
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