Dear Resident

Trades people work incredibly hard and the impact of having your tools taken is huge not only financially, but emotionally too. Generally speaking those victim to tool thefts not only lose out due to having to pay for new tools but often lose several days in paid work on top of this because they are without their tools. The impacts and stress caused cannot be underestimated.

With that said, the hours of darkness are earlier and days have become shorter, and with this we tend to see a rise in theft from vans offences, especially on the lead up to Christmas. 

This year is no exception and thieves will be on the lookout for opportunities to commit these crimes all over the county so I am appealing to those who own vans to ensure they follow our crime prevention tips in order to reduce the risk of becoming victim to this type of crime.

1. Always store tools elsewhere at night – Take them out of your van and secure them somewhere else such as a business premises or at home.

2. Mark your property – Use permanent markers and UV pens to mark your tools so they are recognisable to belonging to you. Also consider taking photos and noting serial numbers to prove ownership.

3. Back up against as wall – If possible, reverse you van against a wall and even better if you can also place the side door also against a wall. The idea here is to make a would be criminals work hard by giving them no workspace to cut into any thinner panels to gain access.

4. Park somewhere well lit – Seems simple, but removing the cover of darkness from a criminal could be enough to deter your van from becoming a target as they fear they could be spotted and reported to the police.

5. Van Signage – Consider your signage as this can indicate to a criminal what types of tool you could be carrying.

6. Consider installing deadlocks on rear and side doors – This comes at a cost but could be an investment when compared to the cost of lost tools. Also double check you have locked your van.

Further security tips and crime prevention advice can be found on the Northamptonshire Police website and on the Neighbourhood Watch website. 

If you would like to contact your local policing team, visit the Your Area section of our website.

Sgt Oliver Quinlan

Kettering Neighbourhood Policing Team