Tool theft – What can be done to deter thieves?

August 2, 2017

With tool thefts at an all-time high, there is no better time to review the security you have in place. It wasn’t all that long ago that if you heard a van or property had been broken into and tools stolen, it was a shock. However, we receive phone calls daily advising thousands of pounds worth of tools have been stolen, meaning you are unable to work and unable to earn money!

What products are available to help prevent theft and help locate tools should they be stolen?

Locks

One option is to fit your van with additional locks. There is the option of having dead bolts fitted by a garage, but this means you are without your vehicle for a day or longer. Alternatively, you can fit a diskus van lock kit yourself at home. These can be used on most double wing doors, without a rebate, and are designed with a solid metal locking case which almost completely prevents successful attacks on the integrated diskus padlock. We stock the Abus van lock kit due to the very high security rating.

Tool Chest

Another popular option is a lockable tool chest bolted to the van floor. Tool chests are available in a variety of sizes to suit your vehicle. We stock the Amorgard OxBox range due to the high levels of security and general build quality. Constructed from 2mm thick steel and powder coated with an anti-corrosive undercoat, coupled with a high security 5-lever deadlock, you can be sure they have been designed not only for maximum security, but also to last.

Tracking

A more high-tech alternative option would be the Milwaukee One-Key range that not only offer complete tool control to maximise the performance of your tool, but also tool tacking. The tracking facility helps locate lost or stolen tools and even allows you to ‘lock them down’, making them unusable to any other person. There are currently only a handful of One-Key tools on the market, however over the coming months the range will rapidly grow and the features available will also grow.

Tick

If changing your complete range of tools over to the Milwaukee One-Key series is not an immediate option, there are alternative ways to embrace the Milwaukee One-Key facility with your existing tools and equipment. The  Milwaukee TICK is a low-cost professional-grade equipment tracker that has been designed to withstand the harshest jobsite environments. The TICK can be easily attached to any product, regardless of brand, providing users an invaluable way to track their complete inventory through the One-Key app. Simply glue, screw or rivet the small device to any piece of equipment, pair the TICK your smart device and add to your inventory within the app. You can then assign the tool or equipment to a job or person to also keep a record of who has what and where.

National Register

Another way to help protect your property is by registering your tools on the UK national property register. Immobilises a fantastic free-to-use website that operates in conjunction with the UK police forces, to help combat theft of any valuable items. Once registered, any recovered items will be tracked back to the rightful owner by use of their serial number. It’s a simple matter of creating an account and registering your items.

#BestValueNoMessin

Finally, it’s worth noting that all power tools purchased from Protrade with the #BestValueNoMessin support package have their serial numbers logged, registered and stored on our secure database. As one of the few tool companies with service facilities, should a lost or stolen item be booked in for repair at one of our depots, we can easily track it back to the rightful owner. Holding the serial numbers on our database also enables us to provide our customers with the accurate serial numbers that are usually required by insurance companies when claiming for lost or stolen items. This makes an already exasperating process as seamless as possible.