Van Security Report

More than one-third of companies have been hit by van theft in the past year, according to a new study.

The findings are revealed in the Van Security Report from industry body Logistics UK, which collated data from police forces throughout the country.

It launched the report to assess the nature and scale of van crime.

Denise Beedell, Policy Manager for Vans and Urban at Logistics UK, said:

“Van content theft has, on average, cost businesses £4,250 in the last 12 months. In addition to initial cost implications, logistics businesses also face increased operational costs and potential staff and customer retention difficulties as a result of these thefts.”

Currently, it is up to individual police forces to decide how to record commercial van crime, resulting in an incomplete picture of the extent of the problem.

Logistics UK is calling for the Home Office to allocate a national crime reporting code to allow better understanding of the scale and reach of this crime and to support better allocation of police resources.

Beedell said:

“It must be recognised that this type of crime is not victimless; its impacts are felt keenly by operators and their employees. We will also be looking to work with manufacturers of vehicle and security equipment to explore what features can be developed for commercial vans to minimise van related crimes.”

Van theft costs tradespeople £264 million per year and tool theft can cost each owner £5,600 on average, each time their van gets broken into.

A van break-in also puts the average tradesperson out of work for 30 days and costs nearly £6,000 in missed jobs, on top of the cost of replacing tools and materials.

Reflex Vehicle Hire is helping to provide protection for fleet operators through a range of services.

To guard against theft, we provide advanced telematics technology, which can warn of unauthorised movement and also assist in reporting the location of stolen vehicles to the police.

We also work with some of the country’s foremost vehicle security experts to offer high security fittings to vehicles to prevent the most common attacks.

Lisa Spong, Sales Director for Reflex Vehicle Hire, said:

“In the current economic climate, companies are less able to cope when thieves strike, but research shows it is a growing problem and no fleet is immune.

We will continue to work with our customers to protect their vehicles and equipment from crime to help them build their businesses after a challenging year.”

For a full summary of Reflex Vehicle Hire security services, visit our Telematics section or chat to one of our team of experts.