Northern Ireland is one of the top hotspots for tool theft in UK...

Northern Ireland has been named as one the hotspots for tool theft in the UK, with an estimated annual cost of thefts equating to a staggering £1.5 million.

And, as a result, local van drivers have been warned to take extra security measures after research revealed cases of tool theft from vehicles increased by 57% last year.

Research by van insurance comparison experts Quotezone.co.uk, analysing a sample of 100,000 van insurance policies, showed only 10% of vans in the UK are locked in a garage overnight - raising concerns over van safety and the need for some additional measures to improve van security and deter thieves.

The most common motive behind van thefts is stealing expensive tools which attract thieves because of their high resale value.

According to police data, there were 13,677 cases of tool theft from vehicles reported in the last year, March 2021 – March 2022, equating to 37 cases each day.

Northern Ireland has the fifth-highest number of police-reported cases of tool theft with 1,043 (estimated cost of £1,554,021), behind Northumbria with 1,398 thefts (£2,082,954), Kent with 1,138 thefts (£1,695,567), Lancashire 1,108 thefts (£1,650,868) and Hertfordshire 1,048 thefts (£1,561,471).

Greg Wilson, founder and CEO of Quotezone.co.uk, said: “With tool thefts on the rise, you can never be too careful when it comes to securing your van and its contents especially when it has the potential to affect your livelihood.

“Even if your vehicle comes with basic security systems and factory-fitted immobilisers and alarms, they may not cut it as modern thieves have been known to evade them with key fob cloning and blocking.

“That’s why it’s important to take some precautionary steps to keep the thieves away, even simple things like not leaving valuables in plain sight or in the van overnight, parking in a well-lit location and not drawing attention to the fact there may be tools inside the vehicle with external branding and logos. Adding decals and signage to a van, can increase your insurance premium for that very reason.

“To help prepare for the worst and make sure you can keep your business running in case of a theft, it’s important to double check that your tools are covered by your van insurance policy, they are not always included as standard.”