Thieves target commercial vans in Adur, Worthing and Horsham

Officers are ‘continuing to receive reports’ of commercial vans being broken into, in the Adur, Worthing and Horsham areas.

Adur and Worthing Police said ‘doors are being drilled and tools stolen’.

A spokesperson added: “Please secure your tools overnight and make your vehicle is locked and the van alarm is working.

“You can also mark your tools to make them easier to recover.”

The National Business Crime Centre provided some top tips to owners to keep their vans safe:

– Mark tools with a property marking kit;

– Register tools for free at: www.immobilise.com;

– Do not store tools in your van overnight;

– If you must keep tools in your vehicle:

– Lock doors and shut windows, physically checking they are secure;

– Set your alarm/immobiliser and act if you hear the alarm sounding;

– Park in a garage or secure area covered by CCTV;

– Park with doors against a wall;

– Consider upgrading locks/fitting additional protection

A spokesperson for The National Business Crime Centre added: "Trades people often carry thousands of pounds worth of tools in their vehicles, making them a target for theft, especially when vehicles are unattended on the street or in hotel car parks.

"The impact of these thefts results in loss of work and loss of earnings. It impacts on the business reputation when work commitments cannot be fulfilled, and the cost to replace tools can run in to hundreds of pounds.

"Research shows that tools are stolen from a tradespersons vehicle on average every 20 minutes across the UK.”