Another van broken into.

[sparkdog]

Yup, got to add my name to the list, Transit Connect opened with a key overnight in a quiet country villiage.Toolbag, drills MFT and a lot of other stuff gone. It was insured so hopefully get some new kit. I'll leave my van locked up in a garage now and take my car home.Police absolutely no help at all.

 

[Lou]

Aw no that's awful! Did the Police say anything helpful? Fingers crossed the insurance does not take too long.

 

[sparkdog]

Nope, the Police said they couldn't help as no CCTV or witness.

 

[littlespark]

Nope, the Police said they couldn't help as no CCTV or witness.

Good old fashioned fingerprints?

Look for your stuff for sale on facebook or ebay?

 

[Lou]

Yeah I agree, Gumtree too, you might find something on there. Did they have some kind of special key?

 

[stuarth]

You don't need a key to open fords.

 

[MJPD29]

Scum and police are useless as always no interest in helping

 

[Lou]

Aw well I hope it's sorted out soon for you. Thieving so and so's

 

[westward10]

Load of bad luck mate.

 

[James]

Sorry to hear about your theft.

please don't take this as bad news but more friendly advice.

I have known other tradespeople who have had this happen.
unfortunately, quite a few have been hit again about 2 to 4 weeks later.

The F**** W***** T***** (insert your own colourful words)
know that you will have to replace all the old tools and equipment, quite probably with new stuff that will have a better value on flea bay etc.

Do what ever you think is necessary to prevent a repeat event.
have you considered a security light and/or camera?

there are a few on the forum that will be able to install them for you

 

[tony clark]

c***s absolutely hate these scum bags and should be set on fire,
then i would only ---- on them if i could ---- petrol,
hope all goes well for you mate

 

[JK-Electrical]

Nope, the Police said they couldn't help as no CCTV or witness.

Translation: we're too busy with more important police business like arresting people for posting politically-incorrect comments on Facebook and Twitter.

Sorry to hear about your van being robbed.

 

[Midwest]

Whilst it can be infuriating that police do seem to take little action about such thefts, they are not miracle workers, if there are no witnesses, cctv etc, what else do you expect?

Fingerprint recovery, is a bit of a long shot, requiring good surfaces and none exposure to the elements.

And ‘we’ are to blame for propagating crime, by buying too cheap to believe products. It’s too cheap to be believed, cos it’s been nicked. Car thieves wouldn’t survive, if their wasn’t a ready market for their spools, let’s not forget that.

It may of escaped your notice, but one of my local ‘useless’ police officers, lost his life trying to apprehend these scumbags. Let’s not forget that either.

 

[Simon47]

A late friend was a self employed chippy by trade. His van needed more than just "a ford key" to get into it. Back door secured with one of those security hasps using a padlock that's recessed to make it hard to get to with cutting gear. Side door secured with a lump of chain inside popped through a hole in the internal timber bulkhead so it could be secured above the passenger seat with a good padlock.
OK, easily defeated if you can get into the front and have bolt cutters with you - but that's another level of bother and risk for the b'stards (carrying around bolt cutters isn't something you can easily explain away).
And perhaps consider a strongbox of some sort inside the van to add another level of protection. For the latter, a VERY loud siren so that if someone is tampering with it, they'll find it very uncomfortable trying to work inside a tin box with a loud siren going off

 

[DT1991]

They'll just nick the van.

Best bet it to whittle your tools down into something that can be wheeled into your house.

I've always thought why do we sign write our vans electrical services we should just advertise paint and decorating on the side noone every broke into a decorators van to nick a old paint brush and dust sheets!

I do take all my tools out every night a pain I know but it's the only way!

 

[SparkySy]

I like that idea, I've never had a sign written van, not needed to but if I did it would say biohazard or a big radioactive waste sticker on it or best of all mortuary! No even stupid person would try and get in any of those

 

[James]

They'll just nick the van.

Best bet it to whittle your tools down into something that can be wheeled into your house.

I've always thought why do we sign write our vans electrical services we should just advertise paint and decorating on the side noone every broke into a decorators van to nick a old paint brush and dust sheets!

I do take all my tools out every night a pain I know but it's the only way!

You have given me an idea.
I personaly don't have a signwritten van but how about the following?

get the van signed up as Blah Blah Electrical services etc.
then get some magnetic signs made up to cover the words electrical services.

maybe it then reads Blah Blah waste disposal, or gutter cleaning.
will probably stop the opportunists from even looking.

edit,
P.s. well done sparkysy for beating me to the post button.
we must have been typing at the same time!

 

[SparkyAndGeorge]

Sorry to hear that man, maybe time to invest in a van vault?

 

[DPG]

Translation: we're too busy with more important police business like arresting people for posting politically-incorrect comments on Facebook and Twitter.

The police don't want to be dealing with crap like that either, but today's society is easily offended and there are plenty of lawyers who are all over it unfortunately.

If you're not sure what sort of stuff the police do and the people they come face to face with then I suggest you do a few weeks as a special and then report back. You will not be sat looking at Facebook and twitter crime belive me. Despite what some people reckon on Facebook etc.

Rant over and no offence intended.

 

[littlespark]

Recent news story and commented on the forum somewhere about an anti theft device on a van which electrified the door handles.
Something to think about.

Interesting point mentioned earlier about vans getting targeted twice to get the replacement tools which would be brand new.

 

[Simon47]

Read the same about house burglaries - common for them to come back a few weeks later when you got new tellys etc

 

[pirate]

Remember the days when funeral notices in the papers had address of deceased, and scumbags robbed the house while the family were paying their last respects?
If you rob people of their living,of their family memories, you are SCUM!
Aye, as Rab C Nesbitt used to say...just scum...scum, and more scum

 

[SparkySy]

It is a serious problem across all manufacturers, I have been done 3 times in 20 years all different vans and all a piece of ---- to get into. Even some aftermarket locks are not worth what they cost and are off in seconds.
But it makes money for manufacturers if they have to keep selling you new locks, handles and replacement panels, and the insurance companies make money from it! And the thieves are making their bit! Wait a minute us hard working ones are being screwed from every angle!
Something major needs to change!!

 

[Lister1987]

A late friend was a self employed chippy by trade. His van needed more than just "a ford key" to get into it. Back door secured with one of those security hasps using a padlock that's recessed to make it hard to get to with cutting gear. Side door secured with a lump of chain inside popped through a hole in the internal timber bulkhead so it could be secured above the passenger seat with a good padlock.
OK, easily defeated if you can get into the front and have bolt cutters with you - but that's another level of bother and risk for the b'stards (carrying around bolt cutters isn't something you can easily explain away).
And perhaps consider a strongbox of some sort inside the van to add another level of protection. For the latter, a VERY loud siren so that if someone is tampering with it, they'll find it very uncomfortable trying to work inside a tin box with a loud siren going off

Electrify the van, as previously mentioned

I like that idea, I've never had a sign written van, not needed to but if I did it would say biohazard or a big radioactive waste sticker on it or best of all mortuary! No even stupid person would try and get in any of those

You'd be surprised at the opposite, NHS vans, biohazard disposal companies and radioactiv waste handlers often get targetted by "dirty bomb" makers etc

 

[Leesparkykent]

I had a van nicked last year and the plod didn’t even come out....just received a letter about a week later with a reference number and it saying case closed unless other information comes to light.

 

[JK-Electrical]

The police don't want to be dealing with crap like that either, but today's society is easily offended and there are plenty of lawyers who are all over it unfortunately.

Let today's society be easily offended then. Who cares?

People are being knifed to death on British streets in broad daylight. People are being robbed in the driveways of their homes and even inside their homes by violent criminals who are taking advantage of a lack of police, not to mention tradesmen trying to earn an honest living having their businesses disrupted and livelihoods threatened by psychopathic thieves. Investigation of these crimes is where the police should be focusing their limited manpower, ..... oops ..... sorry ..... personpower .... time and resources. Several senior police officers are also of this opinion:

It's criminal that the Met Police is giving up on burglars - but has 900 'anti-hate experts', writes former Scotland Yard chief Philip Flower

Focus on violent crime not misogyny, says police chief

Met chief Cressida Dick backs 'traditional' policing call
​

Philip Flower is absolutely correct when he says it is criminal that the Metropolitan Police is giving up on burglars but has 900 'anti-hate experts' on its payroll. My complaint lies not with rank-and-file police officers, but against the politicians who introduced the legislation that gave rise to the policing of "hate speech" in the first place.

If you're not sure what sort of stuff the police do and the people they come face to face with then I suggest you do a few weeks as a special and then report back.

I'm well aware of the inherent dangers involved with police work. Several of my immediate family and extended family are police officers as are some of my customers. All agree that police resources being directed towards the monitoring and investigation of "hate speech" isn't a very effective way of tackling the unacceptably-high levels of violent crime and theft that is commonplace in Britain today.

You will not be sat looking at Facebook and twitter crime belive me. Despite what some people reckon on Facebook etc.

Some police officers are obviously sitting at a screen somewhere examining posts that have made on 'social media'. How else would they able to arrest people for online "hate speech" if they didn't first read the supposed "hate speech" online?

Rant over and no offence intended.

No offence taken. Offending me would require monumentous effort and a considerable amount of patience. And even if you were to succeed, I still wouldn't report you to the police for "hate speech".

 

[JK-Electrical]

Remember the days when funeral notices in the papers had address of deceased, and scumbags robbed the house while the family were paying their last respects?
If you rob people of their living,of their family memories, you are SCUM!
Aye, as Rab C Nesbitt used to say...just scum...scum, and more scum

 

[sparkdog]

I recently got a mig welder, perhaps I could go for the ultimate solution and weld up all the doors.

 

[Markyd]

Police too busy helping a snowflake thats been offended

 

[JK-Electrical]

Well said that man. I couldn't have put it any better myself.

 

[littlespark]

Police too busy helping a snowflake thats been offended

You can’t call them SNOW flakes. That implies a “white only” exclusion .

Kind of like Jim Davidson and his black mate, “chalky”

 

[Markyd]

Call them whatever I like fella........

 

[SparkyAndGeorge]

Out of interest has anyone ever head of a van vault getting broken into when the vehicle is parked up?

 

[SparkySy]

yes I have a mate that does Steel frame buildings who had his van broken into and vault broken open, all his kit was gone, that was in a hotel car park with cctv and they got a van coming into the car park and park next to his van sliding door to sliding door. They were there 12 minutes in total. Van vault lid looked like a crumpled piece of paper, they think that some sort of hydraulic jaw was used to force either side of the lock till it bent and gave up!
Van was on false plates and you didn't see anyone get out of it as it was all done from the sliding door, proper criminals!

 

[sparkdog]

Not very encouraging, yes I have heard of the sliding door trick.

 

[SparkySy]

Apparently they were in the van in seconds (Ford transit) didn't set the alarm off or anything so quite happily got on with the vault hampered by someone hearing the alarm. 12 mins is pretty fast they must of been good at it, God only knows how many vans they could of done in a night at that pace!

 

[Edtwozeronine]

Could mig-welding loops onto either side of the vans sliding doors, with 3 different makes of padlocks going through each loop prevent it? I swear i saw something like that on the back of Vauxhall combo van once.

 

[Andy78]

Best bet it to whittle your tools down into something that can be wheeled into your house.
I do take all my tools out every night a pain I know but it's the only way!

I totally agree. Doesn't take long to move them in and out once you have them condensed down into boxes and bags. I reckon a wheeled trolley system would be best for this job, But I manage with a couple of toolboxes and a couple of bags.

Sad to say but if you want to keep your tools these days you've got to look after them. Plenty of daylight robberies to vans too in problem areas so sometimes you just won't win.

 

[stevethesparks]

I understand that if you fix a van vault to the deck, they have more chance of using an hydraulic jack on the lid. Then again, if you don't bolt it down they will remove it all in one. Not sure what the answer is there?

 

[DT1991]

I know someone who had his van set on fire, if they cant get in or get van vault open they will just set it on fire haha! Not funny in that sense but funny is the sense enough to make you go mad!