Van security: protecting your tools as well as the van

Van security is a different problem to car security, and treating it like the same thing is how people end up protected against the wrong thing.

With a car, the vehicle is the target. With a van, it is very often what is inside it, and a thief who empties your load area in ninety seconds has cost you more than one who took the van itself.

Two separate risks

The van being driven away. Same problem as any vehicle. Keyless models can be relayed, and the answer is the same: an immobiliser that stops the engine running.

The load area being emptied. A far more common event, and one a standard vehicle alarm may not cover well. Tools go, you cannot work in the morning, and the insurance rarely covers it the way you hoped.

Most tradespeople need both addressed. A lot of van security sold on price only handles the first.

How load areas get opened

Peel and steal. The top corner of the side door is bent back far enough to reach in. It takes seconds and makes little noise.

Lock drilling and picking. Standard van locks are not designed to resist a determined attack.

The door skin itself. On some models the panel can be pushed in enough to reach the internal handle.

None of these need the van to be started, and none will trouble an immobiliser.

What actually helps

Additional locks on the load doors. Deadlocks, slam locks and hook locks, fitted properly. This is the single most effective step for most vans, and it is mechanical rather than electronic.

Interior sensors that suit a van. A Pandora system set up for a load area will pick up the door opening and movement inside, and tell your phone straight away. Set up carelessly, sensors either miss things or cry wolf constantly, which is worse.

A hidden immobiliser. An Autowatch Ghost stops the van being driven off, whatever they did with the key.

Empty it overnight where you can. Nobody wants to hear this, and we know it is not always practical. But an empty van is a van that gets left alone, and a sticker saying so genuinely helps.

What insurers usually want

Tool cover is often a separate matter from the vehicle policy, and frequently comes with conditions:

• Tools may not be covered overnight in the vehicle at all
• Additional locks may be required for cover to hold
• There may be a per item limit that is lower than you expect

Read the tool cover section specifically, before you need it. This catches a lot of people out.

What we would do on a work van

If somebody rang us about a van and had a fixed amount to spend, the usual order would be:

1. Additional load door locks. Mechanical, effective, addresses the most likely event.
2. A hidden immobiliser. Stops the van itself going.
3. An alarm covering the load area. Tells you while it is happening.

That order tends to put the money where the risk actually is, which is not always where people expect.

Tell us about your van

Make, model, year and what you keep in it. We fit at your home or your yard, across the North West, and we will tell you honestly where your money is best spent.