RANGE REVIEW: SECURITY & SAFETY RANG GE REVIEW: SECREVIEW:


URITY & SAFETY Y


OPPOR TUNIST THIEVES


DRIVING OFF


With vehicle theft on the increase and hitting tradesmen hard, Tina Skinner , brand directorr, Kasp Security for Carl Kammerling Interna tional looks at how retailers can better support their customers with high-level security products and know-how .


P Wa ales (CS


olice-r ecorded crime has risen by 10% across England and Wales to nearly five million offences, according to 2017


Wa


figures fr om the Of fice for National Statistics – that’s the lar gest annual rise for a decade. Furthermore, the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) estimated a total of 796,000 vehicle-r elated thefts in the year 2015/16.


For a tradesman, their work van is essentially their of fice, and crime against their vehicles can put them out of action for days, if not weeks, impacting negatively on their back pocket. Increasing insurance pr emiums have led to a significant number of crimes going unr eported, and, according to the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), small firms are not r eporting crimes against their business because they do not think it would lead to a successful pr osecution (38%).


On top of this, vehicle crime is costing UK businesses £620million a year , with the average insurancer,, wi claim costing ar ound £3,000 – so is it any wonder insurance costs ar e at a pr emium and crime goes unreported? However


er, there are many ways r,


retailers can help tradesmen deter opportunist thieves and protect their vehicle and, livelihood.


It needn’t


indeed, their cost


the


earth and could actually save them money in the long term, with some insurance providers offering up to a 10% discount if vehicles are protected with durable security devices.


The right tools for the job


The security chosen to deter thieves and vandals should be right for


14 DIY WEEK 29 SEPTEMBER 2017


the job. Spending thousands of pounds on tools is a big expense if a tradesman falls pr ey to the criminals who empty a vehicle, or worse, steal the van. Tradesmen know the importance of choosing the right device for the job and take a lot of pride in their tools. It makes good sense then, that the same pride is displayed when seeking security methods to pr otect them. For


Tr retailers, that means


s, when it comes to security tradesmen


a


ensuring the security pr oducts they stock offer the highest levels of protection as, when it comes to security need


y,, lock


they can tr ust to keep their belongings safe.


For example, stocking locks that ar e completely r esistant to common forms of commercial-vehicle break- in and that provide almost no points for attack, will provide customers with some of the highest levels of protection. Even better , if thoser,, if th locks include a retaining clip, so that when it’s not in use, the padlock can be closed onto the r etaining clip to help ensure it is not left on the r oof of the van or on the gr ound and left behind or lost.


Offering extra protection


Kasp’s own market resear ch has found that the standard locking system of a typical van is vulnerable to an experienced thief. A shed- t ype hasp and padlock ma y do slightly better but, for real security a van needs to be pr otected with a


urity purpose-made lock. y,, Shackle -


less locks that are enclosed within the walls of the hasp will allow maximum pr otection against hacksaw and cropping attacks.


Other featur es r etailers should look out for in their stock selection, ar e six-pin cylinders that will provide extra protection against picking, while tough, zinc-plated steel hasps give added str ength and pr otection against corrosion.


products


As well as selecting security that provide customers


with the highest levels of protection, retailers should also consider what POS and marketing support they will receive fr om the manufacturer for example, will you get a counter box to encourage instant sales? Although there ar e never any that a tradesman’s fall


r,,


guarantees vehicle


y, will not victim to


the staggering number of thefts annually, there ar e measures they can take to deter them.


Retailers play an important role in this by stocking a varied selection of r obust, str ong and durable van locks that would make any thief think twice about tackling the van they secur e. After all, the longer it takes them to br eak in, the mor e likely it is they will get caught.


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