When it comes to protecting your tools, there’s no measure that’s too much. After carefully building up a toolkit that supports you with every repair job, it could be disastrous for your livelihood, wallet, and job motivation if it were ever stolen. And as many tradespeople spend so much time in their van, it’s become a popular ‘weak spot’ for thieves to attack. Maximise your mobile workshop’s defence today for peace of mind and security.
Van security
Your van must be secure, hard to access, and impenetrable to thieves to protect your precious tools and equipment within.
One of the easiest steps to protect your kit is ensuring that if someone walks past, they don’t spot anything valuable inside. A window tint is the perfect solution for this. Available in reflective silver, black, and smoke, they act as a stylish tint for privacy and subtlety. They even reduce heat and glare for easier and more comfortable driving.
When it comes to preventing physical access into your van, additional van locks on the doors are essential. With tamper-proof, concealed fasteners and corrosion-resistant materials, you gain extra protection for your van and its valuable contents, by making forced entry much harder.
If your van has a keyless entry system, thieves can enter the vehicle without any physical effort. RFID blockers (also known as Faraday wallets) feature a technically advanced lining to create a protective barrier against devices used by thieves to scan the code emitted by your key fob. Protecting your key within the pocket of the wallet will prevent RFID theft of your device and reduce the risk of your van or valuables within it being stolen. When placing your keys in the pocket, ensure that the key is completely covered.
Vehicle alarms and tracking
It’s often not enough just to prevent thieves from getting inside your van, as there’s always a risk that they’ll steal the whole vehicle. That’s why alarms and trackers are super handy gadgets to use.
For this purpose, steering wheel locks are both a visible and physical deterrent. Designed from durable materials, a steering lock is typically resistant to attacks from hand tools and power tools, delivering extra security and reassurance. Easy to remove with your key, and futile without, it’s very difficult for your van to be driven away with the wheel lock still intact.
Serving a very similar purpose, wheel clamps are instead applied to your van’s wheels. Another visible security measure, they’re simple to use and cover the wheel nuts to prevent driving. We carry them at a range of prices and from trusted security brands, including Bulldog.
If your van is ever unfortunately stolen, don’t panic. As long as you’ve fitted one of our nifty trackers, there’s no reason to stress. Available at a range of prices, with features like Android and iPhone compatibility, real-time tracking, and built-in microphones, they’re the ultimate security solution. Investing in a GPS tracker allows you to keep a watchful eye on wherever your vehicle is taken, meaning you can inform the police with live updates.
Smart parking
You can protect the contents of your van for absolutely free by being smart about how and where you choose to park.
If you can, try and park your vehicle inside a garage or gated, CCTV-monitored car park. These options offer the best security to keep thieves away. If you’re a tradesperson called away for a job, enquire whether there’s somewhere secure for your van to be left overnight.
However, if you can’t access these options, make sure that you always park in a well-lit area. You should also back your van tightly into a corner, as this limits access and makes it difficult for the back doors to be opened.
It’s wise to remove your valuable equipment overnight, as it’s just not worth the risk of it being stolen. Whether you do this or not, why not pick up a window or bumper sticker for a visible warning that your van is empty?
To take safe parking one step further, invest in an intelligent dash cam for 24/7 surveillance. The best-selling Nextbase iQ 4K Smart Dash Cam features Smart Sense Parking, utilising AI to prevent crime by monitoring unusual movement around your vehicle and notifying you instantly. Share live feeds with your loved ones using Witness Mode or send out an automatic Emergency SOS in case of an accident. With instant access to your 4K video footage, what’s not to love about this advanced model?
Another solid option is the Nextbase 320XR+ Front & Rear Dash Cam with its Intelligent Parking Mode and night-time recording (alongside many more features) for security against theft, hit-and-run incidents, and even random bumps in the car park. And don’t forget to add your expert dash cam fitting to your online purchase, if you want to take the hassle out of the upgrade!
Secure storage
When storing your tools, a reliable and secure toolbox or tool chest is important. Lockable, tamper-resistant, and built to last, maximise your organisation and security in one storage solution purchase. A floor-bolted container may be ideal for use in a van, as they’re much harder to remove and transport.
Final Steps
Window etching is another great option for if your van ever gets stolen. By etching a unique code on your windows, your vehicle becomes much easier to identify. Registration plates can always be removed and swapped, but an engraved code is permanent and discouraging to thieves. Your code will also be linked to a secure database used by all police forces throughout the UK. We can handle this for you through our comprehensive window etching service at your local Halfords store.
You can do a similar job on your actual tools, too. With our laser engravers, it’s easy to mark equipment yourself, whatever the surface, so that they’re harder to resell and easier to identify.
Finally, having insurance and cover on your tools is a vital step. That way, if your tools are ever stolen, you can claim some or all of the cost back. Remember that a guarantee and insurance aren’t the same thing. For example, our Halfords Advanced tools come with a lifetime guarantee. However, that doesn’t protect them against theft, so it’s important to be prepared for any circumstance.
Give yourself and your toolbox the best chance to stay safe on the roads with our security devices and simple tricks. Don’t forget that you can unlock more savings across motoring products and security accessories by signing up to Halfords Motoring Club Premium today!
