Over recent weeks there have been a number of commercial vans targeted by thieves in the Southport area. In some cases the vans themselves have been stolen in mostly overnight thefts. In other cases, tools have been stolen from vans, again, mostly in overnight thefts, but on occasion, during daylight from building sites. Where the thefts have been reported, investigations continue however, there is clearly a need for the owners of commercial vehicles to take extra measures to secure tools and vehicles.

We always advise that tools should be removed from vehicles overnight and stored in a secure location. At the very least, ensure that all tools are marked with a property marking system such as Smartwater or Selecta DNA, to identify them as your own property. This helps the police to identify stolen tools found during searches or warrants executed.

Given the targeting of vehicles, owners should consider additional measure to secure vehicles, such as wheel clamps, steering locks etc. Any measures which will make theft of the vehicle more difficult.

At building sites, Site Managers, should consider logging the registration numbers of all vehicles which SHOULD be on the site, in order to reduce the risk from random vehicles driving on. It's easy for criminals to 'hide in plain sight; on building sites, wearing high vis vests etc.
Vehicles need to remain locked on site, to reduce the risk of theft, as inconvenient as this may be.

Vehicles and tools are a major investment for businesses. Please consider these steps to try and reduce the risk to your own vehicle and/or tools and ensure that all thefts are reported for investigation.