Force launches theft from vans campaign

Leicestershire Police has this morning launched a brand new campaign tackling theft from vans.

The force wide campaign is looking to combat a common spike in this type of crime which often occurs in October as the nights begin to turn darker, earlier.

Statistics from 2018 showed that there was nearly 130 more theft from vans in October, compared to September.

The campaign includes a social media push, involving a video highlighting good van keeping practice vs bad and how to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of this type of crime.

The force is also implementing a golden ticket style competition across the county. Crime preventions packs full of advice on how to prevent yourself from becoming a victim of this type of crime will be handed out across Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland, with van owners able to collect their packs from their local police station.

In three crime prevention packs across the County will be a golden ticket, entitling the lucky winner to a specialised crime prevention van lock.

Detective Inspector and vehicle crime lead at Leicestershire Police, Simon Preston, said:

“I’m really pleased to be able to share this new campaign with the public.

“Theft from vans is an extremely important issue that the force is tackling.

“This is a crime that impacts people’s jobs and livelihoods. In a split second thousands of pounds worth of equipment can be stolen. This is costly, not only because stolen tools need to be replaced, but also because the time and business lost whilst waiting for new tools to arrive is so substantial.

“There are steps van owners can take to help prevent themselves from becoming victims of this crime, something I hope our campaign will really emphasise.

“We are encouraging van owners to: always make sure their vehicle is locked, no matter how quickly they think they will return to the vehicle. Security mark your tools, if in the unfortunate event your tools are stolen this will make them much easier to trace. When possible, remove all valuables from your vehicle.

“Other tips when parking your van include: park in a well-lit area, near to CCTV. If you can, park as close to another vehicle or building to prevent access to doors.

“Should you see any suspicious activity or have any information on this type of crime please let us know by calling 101 in a non-emergency or 999 in an emergency.