Van related security

The following Crime Prevention advice is being circulated after a report of vehicle crime relating to vans recently.

If you use a van for work, one of your biggest concerns is likely to be its theft, of someone breaking into it to steal goods or equipment.

Vehicle criminals will always go for soft targets that often-high reward and sadly, the combination of valuable tools and often-poor security makes vans theft too tempting a choice for many criminals

Of course, the ideal situation would be for you to park your van in a locked, alarmed garage every evening, but that’s unlikely to happen in the real world. However, there are plenty of other precautions you can take to reduce the risk of theft.

• Always lock doors and close the windows then you’re away from your vehicle, even for a short time.
• Don’t leave valuables such as phones or sat-navs visible, and definitely never leave the keys in the van.
• Whenever possible, remove tools, stock and other equipment from the van, especially when leaving it overnight.
• Park in busy, well-lit areas.
• Visible security features can be a strong deterrent, so consider steering or handbrake locks.
• If you have an invisible security device such as a tracker or an alarm, make sure that prospective thieves know about it by placing a warning sticker on your van -it can more than enough to put criminals off.
• Even the smallest precautions can help, such as fitting locking wheels nuts, a removable stereo or a lockable fuel filler cap.
• Many vans will come with an alarm fitted as standard, ensure the vehicle alarm is set when unattended.
• Consider fitting a vehicle alarm and immobiliser – many insurance companies will reduce premiums for this measure.

For more crime prevention advice please contact your local Safer Neighbourhood Team or visit: https://www.derbyshire.police.uk/contact/af/contact-us-beta/contact-us/ 

Please report suspicious activity to police on the following contact methods:

• Website – We have crime reporting tools on our website: use our online contact form
• Facebook – send us private message to the Derbyshire Constabulary Facebook page
• Phone – call us on 101

#CrimePrevention #Vansecurity #CommunityPolicing