Tradesmen ‘Under Siege’ From from Van Thieves

Tradesmen and women in Market Harborough have told Hfm they are ‘under siege’ from thieves stealing tools from their vans.

Thieves caught on camera on Welland Park Road, Market Harborough

A spate of tool thefts from vans has continued this week in Market Harborough and surrounding villages – in the past two weeks 20 have been targeted, with power tools and other equipment worth thousands of pounds stolen.

Latest Police figures obtained by Hfm show an average of one car or van a day is being broken into across the Harborough District, with 155 targeted in the past six months – although that’s down on the same period last year.

A van targeted in Market Harborough

Today the Federation of Master Builders has revealed more than half of 400 builders it questioned across the UK have fallen victim:

Here’s spokesman Andrew Dixon:

Leicestershire Police say they endeavor to investigate such incidents where investigative opportunities exist and look to arrest and prosecute offenders.

A spokesman said: “We have received a number of reports of thefts from vans, or attempted thefts from vans, in and around Market Harborough in recent weeks.

“We do appreciate that tools are essential for people to carry out their jobs.

“However, figures show that there were 155 reports of thefts of motor vehicles across the Harborough district from 1 April to 1 October 2018. This is a significant reduction from the 240 recorded over the same period in 2017.

“We would urge van owners to protect themselves by removing tools, equipment and any high-value goods every night and ensure that they are visibly marked.

“If you are unable to remove tools from your van, then there are other preventative steps that can be taken, such as parking your vehicle in a garage or close to walls so that the doors can’t be opened.

“We would also urge van owners to ensure that alarms are installed and an internal security cage is fitted where possible.