Whether you use your van as an essential part of your
business or just for personal transportation, it represents a significant
investment that you will naturally want to keep secure. While it is true that
criminals are becoming ever more sophisticated in their methods of breaking
into vehicles that pose tempting targets, there are a number of security
techniques that you can employ yourself to even the odds.
Not only will taking safety and security precautions
discourage thieves from taking or damaging your van, doing so can also
encourage your van
insurance provider to offer you a lower premium. This gives you an extra
incentive to think carefully about how you take care of your van.
Alarms
Unfortunately, the effectiveness of alarms diminishes
significantly the more of a built-up urban area you happen to live in. This is
because in busy cities alarms are set off with such regularity that many people
within earshot will either automatically ignore it or assume that it has gone
off accidently, rather than being due to an attempted theft.
However, alarms still present something of a deterrent
to criminals who can be startled into giving up the attempt and making a hasty
exit from the scene. More sophisticated alarms can be synched to the owner’s
mobile phone which allows you to respond quickly and inform the authorities.
Deadlocks
A solid steel bolt securing the door to a reinforced
socket is enough to discourage even the most persistent of thieves. This kind
of lock is becoming increasingly popular as it requires a thief to carry
sophisticated tools to have even a chance of getting through it.
Window Grilles
Securing the doors is a sensible step but a thief can
also use brute force to affect the weakest part of the van: the windows. An
unsubtle smash-and-grab can still be a hugely costly affair when you take into
account the value of any stolen property, the cost of repairing the window and
any potential hike in insurance premiums if you make a claim.
Reinforced grilles are a simple yet effective solution
and bespoke parts are readily available for most popular van models.
Parking Practices
Physical protection for your van is all well and good
but there are a number of other precautions that you can take. Chief amongst
them is parking in a secure and sensible manner. If you have access
to a garage or well-lit driveway at home then always make use of it as it
substantially improves the security situation for your vehicle.
When parking in public, always choose a busy street
with plenty of passersby over a quiet side street that is easily overlooked.
The proximity of crowds will severely discourage any would-be thief from
attempting to interfere with your van during daylight hours.
Don’t Display Tools
The value of specialist
tradesmen tools has skyrocketed in recent years, making small commercial
vans a prime target for criminals looking to find and steal tools to sell on.
The best defence against this disturbing trend is to
not present thieves with a tempting opportunity. Never leave your van
unattended with the doors open when your tools are on display. A matter of
seconds is all it can take for a professional thief to clean out your valuable
property.
Empty out overnight
Leading on from the previous tip, leaving any of your valuables
in your van overnight is just asking for trouble. Although it may be a hassle
to move everything from the van to the house only to bring it back the
following day, think about how much more of a hassle it would be to make an
insurance claim, report the theft to the police and go about replacing your
valuables.
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