There is a problem with van security, it’s called tool theft . The manufacturers aren’t talking about it. They list luxury features such as Bluetooth, voice recognition and connectivty..but not much about security. So we’ve decided to get it out in the open. Tool theft is affecting hard working people all around the UK, so this is an honest account of what’s going on.
Before we start knocking the companies such as Ford, Renault, Citroen and Peugeot, we have to decide what is good and what is bad.
Let’s look at van crime. The most common problem isn’t the van being stolen ( unless you own a new Mercedes Sprinter, but that’s for another blog ) it’s having the rear of the van opened without the keys and having tools stolen. We call this tool theft from the load area.
A work van is not a fortress, so how do we measure how secure it is? In the good old days of Crook locks, before the introduction of in-built immobilisers, the quality of the deterrent would be measured on the time taken to defeat the Crook lock. With this in mind, we need to look at the tool theft problem further.
How are thieves getting in to your van?
- They attack the load area locks. These are the locks on the rear and side load doors.
- They’re breaking open the cab area and pressing the central locking button that unlocks the rear of the van.
- They use a locksmith tool .. Ford Transit owners, you need to pay attention here.
- They cut a hole into the body to access tools
- They bend back the doors to create an access hole to remove tools.
All these methods are well known by the seasoned tool thief. The method they use, depends on the make and model of each van. Can the van be made more secure?
Preventing Tool Theft
Yes. But for this to happen, manufacturers such as Ford, Vauxhall,Renault and Citroen / Peugeot need to decide that security is a priority over price. The simple answer would be to take a few reformed tool thieves and give them a new van, and the chance to break into it. The problem here is that once a new van is off the production line, the design, tooling and manufacturing principles are all finished. In fact, those clever designers are already looking at the next van and how it’s going to look. They’re not going to change anything about the millions of vans that are already out on the road.
So find out as much as you need to know. get educated about tool theft and pay attention to these videos.
This Citroen Relay was robbed by an organised gang. The alarm doesn’t bother them.
This Citroen Dispatch took just over ten seconds to break into, in day-light!
Ford Custom? You need to read this
