Research from 2021 shows that between 2015 and 2019 van theft rose a massive 81% and in 2021 more than 10,000 vans were stolen. The full stats from 2021 are not fully available yet, but this figure is expected to rise to above 12,000.
Research carried out by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles shows that 27% (that’s more than a quarter of van drivers) experienced tool theft in the 12 months leading up to September 2021. The need for great van security is compounded further by a report from Logistics UK, which reveals more than a third of British businesses had a van stolen in 2020.
If you use your laptop every day for work, it’s important to keep a backed-up hard drive in case it goes kaput. However, there is no backup for a van, or the tools which may be left in it and such tools are very expensive and costly to replace. If it’s more than your tools and your van is stolen and you’re unable to work – this, then becomes very costly.
How Can I Make My Van Safer?
There are many ways of increasing the security of your van. From what now seem like primitive steering wheel locks through to much more modern-day alternatives like wireless cameras and contact sensors.
But you don’t have to just choose one method to make your van safer. You can choose what you think is necessary and what you can afford to alleviate the need for having your van better equipped than Fort Knox.
We’ll go through all the latest trends in van security and refresh your memory of some tried and tested methods, too.
Where Should I Start With Security For My Van?
As ever with most things in life, start with what you can afford and what is most valuable to you.
If you carry a lot of tools in the back of your van, it might be good to add an extra lock to the doors. You can even add a camera to the inside of your van facing the access doors – this will enable you to record all the footage and store them on a cloud drive, in case anything is stolen.
Moreover, there should be protection for the things you cannot immediately see. Catalytic converters have precious metals inside them and can bring a good bit of money from the scrap yard. They’ll also cost you a pretty penny to replace. You can get locks and clamps for these to make it more difficult for the wanton thief.
There are also simple things you can do like the use of a UV pen, this will leave an invisible but permanent mark on your tools, equipment or even on the dashboard of your van. You can put things like serial numbers on your tools, your initials or postcode. A distinguishing feature that will help the Police retrace the tools or van to you. The simplest, but probably most laborious and time consuming would be keeping an excel document of your tools in your van.
What Should I Use?
There are many different types of security products out there but let’s start with the ones which have stood the test of time.
Impairing Driving
These won’t stop people from breaking into your vehicle so much but it’ll certainly stop them, or at the very least, slow them down before they try and make their escape with your van.
Wheels Clamps
Usually used on your vehicle to stop you from moving, if you’ve parked somewhere you shouldn’t have. There are many wheel clamps out on the market, but you need to be sure the one your looking at using will be big enough for your wheel. Something like the Bulldog Wheel Clamp which is designed for wheels from 18” to 25” might be ideal for a van as the larger tyre size might be needed for the bigger payloads. The clamp also comes with Sold Secure approval, which means it’s gone through independent testing to prove it’s worth the money.
Bulldog Wheel Clamp | Price: £125.00 | VIEW OFFER
Pedal boxes
Not as visual as wheel clamps, pedal boxes go, well, down near the pedals – they stop anyone from being able to control the brake, accelerator and clutch, which is what almost every new car needs to be compressed before turning over the ignition.
Pedal Box | Price: £83.29 | VIEW OFFER
Steering wheel locks
Everyone who passed their driving test before 2005 would be familiar with a steering wheel lock, if you’re not, they don’t lock the steering wheel in place. The purpose of these locks allows you to move the steering wheel, but the movement is limited. Driving a van around a corner or roundabout would be near impossible.
Steering Wheel Lock | Price: £32.99 | VIEW OFFER
Alarm Systems and Immobilisers
There are plenty of after-market alarms and immobilisers out there that can help improve the security of your van. If you’re fitting these yourselves, take great care and make sure it is done correctly otherwise you could end up spending more money trying to get the immobiliser off your van. If you can, purchase Thatcham-approved systems – this certification provides reassurance around the functionality, design and performance of alarms, immobilisers and tracking systems.
With technology being what it is today, most alarm systems will be able to send you a text message, call your phone or display a notification via an App to let you know if someone is tampering with your van.
While an alarm will give an audible deterrent an immobiliser will not allow your vehicle’s ECU (the vans electronic brain) to start the car until a pre-set of requirements is achieved. Depending on the immobiliser these requirements could be punching numbers into a keypad, aligning a magnetic tag or even punching in a pre-set routine on the van’s steering wheel.
Your van will likely have an OBD Port, this is the interface between your van’s ECU and the real world. If you have a breakdown, it’s very likely that a mechanic will plug their laptop into your OBD Port where a diagnostic of what is wrong with your van will be displayed.
Crims can use this port to start your van without using a key and thieves who are familiar with pinching a van will know where they are. You can secure the OBD port with a locking device, or, consider relocating it to somewhere else in the van.
Cameras
These can be incredibly effective and give you vital evidence to present to the police when helping track down your valuable items. However, they’re no good unless the footage on them is back up to the cloud, if your van is stolen with a camera inside with footage that is stored locally, you’ll have nothing to show the police.
You can get cameras that start recording when there is motion, or when they pick up on vibrations. If someone pulls the door handle of your van, for example, and the camera becomes unstable – it should start recording.
There are plenty of these on the market and, again, it would be a case of which you could afford. We cannot stress the importance of having one which stores the video footage in the cloud.
Related: Parkers have taken a look at some of the best budget dash cams and you can see them by clicking here.
Trackers
DB2 GPS Tracker | Price: £34.99 | VIEW OFFER
There are two different kinds of trackers – GPS and VHF trackers.
GPS is a very common technology, you use it in SatNavs and your smartphone has a GPS tracker, too. GPS has global coverage, but the signal can be jammed or even lost, like the signal on your phone.
VHF trackers, or Very High-Frequency trackers, is believed to be a much better form of tech than GPS. Used by all UK police forces, it can still provide a signal underground or even in a metal container.
Using VHF, you get coverage all over the UK as well as France, Poland, Spain, Hungary, Italy and Luxembourg. Generally speaking, there is a subscription required for a VHF tracker so bear this in mind as it’s not just a one-off purchase. Tracker, who uses this patented tech has subscriptions starting from £169.00 but they can be bought in annual subscriptions or in bulk, a five-year subscription would cost £569.00 for example.
Upgrade Your Locks
We’ve all been sitting behind a van and seen a lock that looks like it belongs on your front door. These locks are much harder to pick and the areas around them have typically been reinforced, making it harder for anyone to drill through.
The same as alarm systems make sure the locks you choose are Thatcham-approved, this doesn’t mean that people won’t break into your van if anyone has enough will, they will find a way. It does mean that it’ll make it harder for people to do so.
Stoplock Commerical Van Lock With Keys | Price: £25.20 (Was £34.99) | VIEW OFFER
Custom Fit Your Loading Space
This may sound expensive, but it can be incredibly practical and tidy! If, like us, you like everything where it should be and a place for everything and everything in its place then this can really help with security.
The other advantage of this is you don’t have to have a whole fit out; you could have a lockable toolbox in your loading area for your prized valuables. Lockable toolboxes are available from companies such as Van Vault. They also sell roof boxes that are lockable for any piping which is made from precious metals.
Van Vault | Price: £389.99 | VIEW OFFER
Another alternative is to have a much more heavy-duty full van security cage, this would not be obvious from the outside but would certainly become a major obstacle for anyone trying to get into your loading space.
Things To Think On
Windows are a weak point on any van or car. They’re easily smashed and if you leave something out, it makes it easier for a smash-and-grab style theft to occur. While windows are, obviously, important in the cab, do you need windows at the rear or side of your van?
If it is important for you to have windows here inexpensive protection film can be applied to the windows to hold any smashed glass in place. The best protective film goes on the inside and outside of the windows.
Making sure your bulkhead is fixed securely will prevent anyone from entering the cab and being able to get into the loading area.
Did you know that some vans have buttons in the cab that will unlock the load area without a key being present? Now might be a good time to disable these buttons as this can be an easy way for thieves to get into your van. Many manufacturers have issued a software update so to try and prevent this from happening, making sure the software on your van is up to date is an easy fix.
Keyless entry on vans is a great option if your keys are on your person and it’s difficult to unlock the doors because your hands are full. However, the distance of keyless entry can be easy access for anyone wanting to gain entry to your van. A Faraday box or pouch will help prevent this. Overall, there is a lot to think about and sometimes the simplest solutions can be the best ‘No Tools Left In This Van Overnight’. As ever, go with what you can afford and if it’s essential to your work do the best you can to keep it safe.
Faraday Box | Price: £19.89 | VIEW OFFER
Also Read:
Car-derived vans: What are they? Which are best in the UK?
The best roof racks for your van
Van tax and pickup tax: costs, exceptions & FAQs
Electric van guide – everything you need to know
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