£500K+ of stolen light commercial vehicles recovered in 2016

London named as van theft hot-spot

According to the latest figures from TRACKER (specialists in vehicle tracking and recovery) 44% of the £500K+ worth of stolen light commercial vehicles that were recovered using the Tracker system in 2016 were stolen using the owners’ keys - highlighting the need for constant diligence. Vans are constantly being loaded and un-loaded, or being left to warm-up on cold days. Keys are potentially left unattended and have stolen from inside the home.

Of these vehicles, 44% were stolen and recovered in London. This makes it the UK’s theft and recovery hot-spot. This will be in part down to the sheer number of people. However, ready access to ports for shipment overseas could play a role.

Andy Barrs, Head of Police Liaison at TRACKER had this to say.

“A high number of vans are stolen in the UK every year, and our latest figures highlight just how much of an impact this can have on businesses.
Nearly five and a half thousand Ford Transits were stolen in the UK last year, which is a thousand more than the previous year. Additionally, Mercedes Sprinters are proving to be equally as attractive to organised criminal gangs.
The theft of a van can hit companies really hard regardless of their size, such as the loss of valuable tools and equipment, loss of business and costs associated with hiring a replacement, so van operators really need to consider protecting their vehicles with TRACKER’s market leading SVR technology.”

Van theft is an all too familiar problem for tradespeople up and down the country. Not only are you possibly getting to work on foot if your van is stolen, but the tools you need for your work are probably gone too.

If you’ve taken appropriate security measures for both your van and your tools, a good tools insurance policy and van insurance policy should make good your loss. But how can you avoid losing your van and tools in the first place?

Security measures

Having a TRACKER, SmarTrack or similar tracking device and recovery service can help to increase the chances of your stolen van being returned to you. However, you could still be faced with disruption and lost earnings. That’s why taking steps to protect your van and tools from theft can save you money and bother in the long run.

Here are a few practical steps that can help you hang on to your van and tools and beat the thieves.