After falling victim to not just one, but two van break-ins in the past year, Elly White of Kelly Electrics explains why a flexible security storage unit is now offering extra peace of mind when she’s away from the vehicle.
Earlier this year my van was broken into for the second time in just eight months; not quite the start to the year that I’d hoped for, especially when you consider that I’d only just replaced some of the power tools that had been taken first time around.
The spate of van thefts across the country in recent times is well documented, with thousands of hard-working tradespeople affected by this most cowardly of crimes. As we’re based in London and carry around expensive tools, I’ve always been very careful to empty my van at night.
However, such is the desperation of these criminals that they’ve now taken to operating during broad daylight and in busy public places, as was the case on both occasions that my van was broken into. As such, it was clear that I needed to take some more steps towards protecting my tools when I’m out and about on the job in the daytime.
Flexible positioning
My first move was to add a heavy duty lock to the rear doors and now, thanks to PE and Van Vault, I can ensure that the most valuable of my tools are locked away safely. Just wait until someone breaks into my van in future and then realises that they can’t get their filthy hands on any of my trusty tools!
The Van Vault range of security storage units is a pretty broad one, but I opted for the ‘Slider’ option because I wanted to be able to access the unit face on. The bigger units would have needed to be positioned at the back or side on and, because I carry a lot of materials, this would have made access more difficult.
In fact, one big advantage of the Slider is that it has actually created more storage space in my van. With all my power tools and test equipment safely stowed inside I can then pile a load more stuff on top, utilising the unit’s slip resistant surface. Although it’s one of the smaller products in the range, I’ve been really impressed with the amount of storage room that the Slider offers. I’ve housed my three most valuable power tools in there, as well as my all-important Megger testers, and there is even room to get my tool bag inside as well, which is a great bonus.
The drawer itself is really smooth and easy to use and it certainly hasn’t slowed me down when turning up to a job and getting my tools out ready for work. In fact, if anything, it’s helped me keep my van more organised by ensuring the important stuff is always easily at hand, instead of stuck in a back corner.
Replacement keys
The product also comes with some fixing brackets and bolts so that it can be secured, and the fitting depends on the shape of each individual van. Rather than piercing the outer shell of mine, I decided to fit a sheet of plywood on the van floor and then bolt the Van Vault to this instead. Although this means it’s not fixed to the actual vehicle, it’ll be quite a task to empty the van, remove/cut the wood and release the fixings. Fingers crossed this has done the trick in terms of securing it.
A final plus is that three keys are provided with each unit and a replacement key service is available, so I don’t need to worry too much if I manage to lose one. Time will tell whether the Van Vault really does its job but I definitely feel much more confident that my tools are kept out of harm’s way now I’ve got one in my van.
For more information about the Van Vault Slider visit: www.vanvault.co.uk/slider
