We’re not giving up in the face of tool thefts. We’re providing an answer.

All crimes have an impact, but tool thefts from vans can be particularly sickening. It’s far more than the loss of equipment – although that is bad enough – it’s the fact that losing equipment causes such damage to your business. No tools, no work. No work, no customers. With a good reputation essential in the trade, saying you can’t turn up on an agreed date because you’ve had your kit nicked sounds like a convenient excuse. The truth is you could be thousands of pounds out of pocket and struggling to survive.

These thefts are increasingly prevalent. The BBC has reported almost 23,000 such thefts in the last year and there can be few who aren’t aware of the problem. Thieves are brazen, and the police are under-resourced. Platforms like eBay and Gumtree are an easy way to shift the loot and quality tools are sold for a fraction of their true value. Insurance premiums climb, and excesses become excessive.

Last week, the subject has been discussed on Jeremy Vine’s show on Radio 2. Protests by builders thoroughly hacked off by the number of break-ins are due to take place in Manchester. It’s not about a power drill or a sander –  it’s about an assault on vast numbers of honest, decent tradesmen, their hard-earned property and their livelihoods.

We specialise in locking systems. In response to the growing problem of tool thefts, this year, we’ve added a van lock to our range of security products. It’s a remarkably tough lock, developed by Czech security experts Tokoz, and although we can’t guarantee it’s going to prevent every type of theft, we know it’s a massive help.

The Vanlock – a name you can’t forget – isn’t just a big boost to a van’s security, it’s also practical with dual slam latching and locking action and an internal emergency escape toggle. It has stainless steel components for strength and corrosion resistance. It uses a euro-cylinder lock and by choosing the best-rated cylinders you can be sure the lock can’t be picked, snapped, drilled, bumped or pulled.

If there’s a choice of two vans, a thief is going to target the one that’s easier to break in. They need to move quickly and won’t be able to do that when they come up against a Vanlock.

Vanlocks can be retrofitted to almost any vehicle, and right now, we’re offering a huge discount to anyone who gets in touch and mentions Jeremy Vine’s feature on the issue.

We’re not backing down in the face of tool thefts. We’re fighting back.